The topic of live music at the Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurant will be discussed by the Carrollton Riverbend Neighborhood Association at their monthly meeting tonight, as neighbors also hear about a “future of Oak Street” visioning project.
The Mellow Mushroom developers have been meeting with the association for months, and have come to an accord on most of the issues surrounding their proposal — though some neighbors remain concerned that the combination of live music and alcohol sales in the former yoga studio could one day turn the restaurant into a performance venue.
Also tonight, UNO planning professor Steve Villavaso will introduce the “future of Oak Street” visioning project sponsored by Carrollton-Audubon Renaissance, Inc (CARI) and discuss plans for public input.
The group will meet at 7 p.m. tonight (Thursday, June 14) at Squeal Bar-B-Q on Oak Street.
If I were a resident of Oak Street I would be very careful about what happens to the neighborhood. Frenchmen, in the Marigny, slowly began to evolve into a happy and very profitable area a number of years ago….and still is. However, like the farmer who diverted a
small stream to irrigate his crops, one day discovered the stream became a torrent that flooded the entire field. We now call Frenchmen “Bourbon Street East”. Street vendors are now setting up tables selling all manner of junk, even food carts blocking the sidewalks and roaming brass bands drowning out the legitimate music venues. Something to keep in mind as you decide how Oak Street and the surrounding area develops. As with any business enterprise, it is whatever the traffic will bear. And, as it boils down, it IS about money, no?
Donald, Knowing your political leanings (which you’ve displayed before on this board) you’ll appreciate that your warning sounds a bit like the scare prophecies four years ago of a near-certain descent into Communism if Obama were to become president. An argument based on fear never holds much water, yet it could very well be used to drown progress of any kind. Look what those alarmists have managed to do from the political right 🙂
Speaking of water, you left out the second part of the farmer parable, which is that while his fields swamped, the neighboring farms all around grew verdant from the steady flow. Because Frenchmen St. is a “happy and very profitable area,” so rose the appeal to many of the Marigny, Bywater, and St. Claude. Do you remember what those areas were like 5, 10, or 25 years ago when Frenchmen St. began its transformation? Let’s not throw out the baby with that proverbial water or boil it to some amorphous steam about how “it IS about money.” Despite its carnival atmosphere a lot of good comes with the Frenchmen St. of today. And let’s be honest, it is a one-of-a-kind case that would be pretty hard to duplicate even if so desired, and not a single person I know, not least among them the many who actually live, work, or own on Oak St., desires it. Oak St. is uniquely Oak St., and those who “buy into it,” as you might put it, really do buy into that.
“The future of Oak St” is the best phrase. At least these neighbors are willing to listen and help this area. restraunts. . I have to applaud them. Unlike the moron neighbors of Maple Street who have the biggest stick stuck up thier backside. They complain about everything except for the section 8 property one block away. Also, the marigny property value has skyrocketed since these vendors, bar, and live music hit that area.