Restaurant owner wants median removed

The owner of Newberry’s Backyard BBQ stood before the city commission Monday night and asked to have a median on SW 254^th Street removed so that he could add a pick-up area to his restaurant.

“We’re trying to keep our doors open,” he said of why he wanted to add the new feature to his restaurant.

Backyard BBQ has being doing its take-out business through a side door that faces SW 254^th Street, requiring customers to pull in and wait for their food to be brought to them. Voglio was warned by the Newberry Fire Department that the practice was a safety hazard that could disrupt the flow of traffic on a street that is already narrow due to the placement of the median.

Voglio added that that the island on the median is a “menace” that has become a run-down breeding ground for termites. He said that Backyard BBQ has donated money to try to improve the appearance of the island, only to see it deteriorating again.

The general consensus among the citizens that showed up to discuss Voglio’s proposal was that although they enjoy eating at Backyard BBQ, they do not think that the median should be removed to help its take-out business.

Citizens cited traffic and safety concerns and historical preservation among the reasons for keeping the median.

Charles Jones, who lives behind Backyard BBQ on SW 254^th Street, said that he was concerned about the precedent that would be set by changing a public right-of-way for commercial purposes.

“If we do it for one, then we’re going to have to do it for all,” he said.

Joann Humburg, another resident of SW 254^th Street, said that “there can and should be other options that are less egregious to the citizens.”

She suggested that Voglio put a parking space in the back of the restaurant for customers who are picking up orders.

Gene Elliott, a member of the beautification committee, said that while he was unhappy with the current state of the island on the median, he did not think that it should be removed.

“We think that with a little bit of work, the design could be reincorporated and that could be a beautiful piece of ground again,” he said of the committee’s stance on the issue.

After hearing the citizens’ comments, the commissioners were in agreement that the median should stay.

City Commissioner Aleana Lawson recommended that Voglio look into making arrangements for a takeout space in the back of the restaurant.