Here’s a recap of February’s Board of Zoning Appeals:
Approved: Group Therapy Pub & Playground to expand outdoor seating
The co-owner of Group Therapy Pub & Playground Matthew Hubbard requested a modification to the business’s existing special exception permit to add outdoor seating and a play area within a defined portion of Camperdown Plaza.
Group Therapy Pub & Playground is billed as an “adult playground” that offers entertainment through mini golf, axe throwing and other games, along with a bar and restaurant. No changes to the inside of the business are proposed. Outside games, like Connect Four, Jenga and cornhole, would be offered as well.
According to city staff, Group Therapy has previously utilized outside space for seating and outdoor games without proper approval. Since then, Hubbard acquired a Certificate of Appropriateness and now only needed a special exception to continue outside games.
Hubbard indicated Group Therapy would continue to operate seven days a week but close at 2 a.m., with the outdoor patio area ceasing operations at 10 p.m.
Residents within Deca Apartments, which sit in Camperdown adjacent to Group Therapy, complained about noise and disruption during the day as well, not just from the nighttime crowd.
“Our concern is the games outside, even during the afternoon. We cannot enjoy our balcony,” says one neighbor.
The board approved the application with conditions such as limiting outside games after 7 p.m. and the applicant maintaining a minimum of two security guards to monitor the business on Fridays and Saturdays between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2:15 a.m.
Denied: Short-term rental on East North Street
Bernard Peter Robichau II applied for a special exception for a short-term rental on 801 E. North St. The unit exists as part of the Lennox Condos, a 12-unit apartment building.
In December 2022, the board denied a special exception permit for an owner of a separate unit within the Lennox due to being incompatible with the area. Currently, no occupancy permits or special exception permits have been issued for short-term rentals at the apartment building.
The board denied Robichau’s request for a special exception permit due to its incompatibility with the area.
Approved: Short-term rental on 15 Whitsett Street
An application by Suite Retreat LLC for a short-term rental on 15 Whitsett St. was approved. The mixed-use building also exists within the Pettigru Street Preservation Overlay District. Jill Blume, the applicant and owner of the property, plans to use the basement-level suite for visitors.
Blume bought the property in 1997, where she says she was told she could use the building for residential and commercial purposes. Although she does not actively live in the building, she uses it as her office for her mortgage lending business.
The board approved Blume’s special exception.
Denied: Short-term rental on Grove Road
The board reviewed an application from Weston Moore, who requested a special exception permit to operate a bed and breakfast inn within a single-family residential district on 221 Grove Road.
Moore applied to convert his existing single-family residence into a bed-and-breakfast inn by using the property’s above-garage bedroom, with Moore and his family remaining in the residence.
City staff found the unit has been listed since 2018 and is currently actively listed. This application was also the result of city enforcement action, but no zoning complaints have been filed against the property.
Staff also noted a neighborhood meeting was held, with some attendees expressing concern that the meeting was held too close to Christmas and that the approval of the bed and breakfast would encourage more short-term rentals within the neighborhood.
The board denied the request due to not being compatible with the area.
Approved: Indoor restaurant on North Main Street
Staff approved the applicant, Whistler Restaurant Group, a special exception to establish an indoor-only restaurant to operate after midnight in downtown Greenville. The property, located at 20 N. Main St. Suite A, is currently in use as a restaurant with operation after midnight but needs a separate special exception permit due to change in ownership.
The applicant, Jessica Kearns, notes some interior renovations and change of menu will be underway during the transition. The board granted the special exception with condition with conditions that food service be allowed to take a last order at last call and security guards present both inside and out on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 10 p.m.
