GRAPEVINE A proposal for a new pizza restaurant hit a snag when the City Council decided the restaurant failed to deliver enough parking spaces.
Pizza Snob, an independent operator, sought approval to open a restaurant in a multi-use downtown building currently occupied by Jake’s Hamburgers and a 7-Eleven convenience store, scheduled to open this month.Pizza Snob promoters and the owner of The Source development company presented plans to the City Council at a recent meeting. After hearing the company’s proposal, Mayor William D. Tate chastised the presenters for having too few parking spots. Tate said the shortage of parking would be unfair to other area businesses and people who live in the area.The council gave the presenters the option to table their request and return with a better parking plan at the Feb. 19 meeting.The Source received Council approval for a 7-Eleven in the same building Oct. 6. The mayor expressed concern that insufficient parking for the pizza restaurant would adversely affect the convenience store and more than a half dozen other tenants of the One Source building, located at 520 South Main Street.The 7-Eleven council approval followed weeks of heated discussion from unhappy business owners who felt the store was not appropriate for downtown Grapevine. Approval was granted after months of questions, delays and postponements.Pizza Snob promoters have met resistance in the past. At a Jan. 17 meeting, the business sought approval to open the 60-seat restaurant. Blake DeMent and other promoters promised a unique pizza experience that would combine speed with organic ingredients and unusual items, such as candied jalapenos.Promoters said they could create a high-quality handcrafted pizza from scratch in 90 seconds by using a proprietary oven. People could be in and out in 10 minutes or stay 20 to 30 minutes and relax.That concerned the mayor, who said he was under the impression Pizza Snob was going to be a delivery establishment that would not add to downtown parking issues.Councilwoman Darlene Freed said the restaurant was a great concept, but that the mayor "was right" about the limited parking spaces.She said they were not trying "to kill" the restaurant, just resolve the parking issues. Marty Sabota, 817-431-2231Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
