Council agrees to send Douglas Depot licensing decision back to committee after owner appeals

The Racine Common Council voted unanimously to send the denied licensing application for Douglas Depot (1615 Douglas Avenue) back to the Public Safety & Licensing Committee after the applicant appealed the committee's unanimous denial.

Applicant Khalid Assad told the council he had invested in renovating an abandoned building and said his application predated recent zoning ordinance changes. "I was denied the licensing for Douglas Depot," Assad said. "I applied for the licensing before the zone ordinances. I was deferred two times at meetings because the zone ordinances weren't updated," he said, asking the council to pull the application for reconsideration.

Alder Weidner, who moved to send the item back to committee, said the committee had unanimously denied the license but expressed concern about the timing of zoning changes and the applicant's claim that he might have been grandfathered based on when he applied. "This young man made a major investment into an abandoned building... it was up to the committee to either grandfather him in or not," Weidner said, urging reconsideration so a new committee could review all information, including the timing of deferrals and any recommendation communications the applicant received.

The council voted 14-0 to refer the matter back to the Public Safety & Licensing Committee for further consideration.

The referral does not reverse the committee's prior decision; it directs the committee to reexamine the application with the additional facts and to report back to the council.