The Third Street Cafe in Harrisburg has lost its appeal as the city attempts to revoke its business license.
A Midtown Harrisburg bar targeted for closure by the city has lost its appeal, but remains open pending a decision by a Dauphin County judge.
Late last month, the License and Tax Appeal Review Board rejected the effort by the Third Street Café (formerly Club 1400) to retain its business license and continue operating from its building at the corner of N. 3rd and Calder streets.
The three-person appeals board unanimously sided with the city, which alleges that the bar attracts criminal behavior, especially drug activity.
“The owners and operators of the Third Street Café consented to or allowed behavior on and around the premises that constituted crimes under federal, state and local laws,” concluded the board in its Aug. 28 decision.
The city has tried for months to revoke the bar’s business license. In late March, it sent owner Tony Paliometros a letter stating it planned to revoke the license, giving him 30 days to cease operations. Paliometros appealed the revocation, and a one-day appeals hearing was held in late May.
In that hearing, several Harrisburg police officers testified that numerous crimes, including drug activity and violent incidents, have occurred inside and just outside of the snug bar, which seats 35 to 40 people. Paliometros disputed the allegations, saying he cannot control the behavior of his patrons, and has told TheBurg that he runs a clean, professional bar.
After losing his appeal, Paliometros immediately appealed that decision to the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas and was granted an emergency injunction to remain open. A hearing on that injunction is slated for Friday.
“We feel confident that we will prevail,” said Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse, who announced the appeal board’s decision at yesterday’s State of the City address at the Harrisburg Hilton.
In March, the city notified two other bars, the Royal Pub and the Taproom, that it also intended to revoke their business licenses. The Royal Pub, located at N. 6th and Schuykill streets, soon shut down. The Taproom, located next door to the Third Street Café on the 1400-block of N. 3rd Street, continues to operate.
Papenfuse said that the Taproom’s owner, Dave Larche, asked for more time so that he could try to sell his building and business. The city agreed to that arrangement, but, since then, has seen no indication that Larche intends to sell, said Papenfuse.
Papenfuse said that, if the Third Street Café is shut down, the city again will turn its attention to the Taproom and may re-initiate an effort to revoke its business license.
Like Paliometros, Larche insists he runs a clean bar and that he can’t be held responsible for the actions of a few of his patrons who may have committed crimes in and around his bar. He also has said he believes the city has targeted the bars for closure because the area is rapidly gentrifying.
