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Well that didn't take long.
Loyal Legion, Kurt Huffman's 99-tap Oregon beer bar in the Central Eastside at 705 SE 6th St., will be back open for business tomorrow, July 17.
The bar opened July 10 to much fanfare and a line stretching around the block. On one of the longest bars in Portland, you couldn't even find a seat.
But as of Tuesday, July 14, it had already closed—because it didn't have a liquor license. What's more, it was told it would be at least six weeks before it could get one, meaning it could no longer string together temporary liquor licenses, as it had done as the bar opened. And so Loyal Legion was closed.
But against previous expectations, the Loyal Legion just got its liquor license today; Huffman says the bar will be right back open for business Friday.
What happened?
It turns out the OLCC changed its "delegation rules" this February. These are the rules that govern who at the OLCC can overturn a negative recommendation by the City of Portland.
The City of Portland issued an automatic negative recommendation against giving a liquor license to the Loyal Legion, because the number of crimes in the surrounding neighborhood was too high. The city allows only 50 crimes within a 500-foot radius over the course of the year. The number within 500 feet of Loyal Legion in the last 12 months was more than double that, at 124.
This would previously have meant Loyal Legion would have to wait for the next meeting of the OLCC Board of Commissioners, at the end of August, for a chance to overturn the the decision. But because of the recent rules change, the OLCC was able to immediately overturn the City of Portland's no-vote, and get the license issued.
"The whole purpose of changing the authority," says OLCC spokesperson Christie Scott, "is so that liquor licenses can be issued quicker. It's a substantial investment to open up a restaurant or bar, and we want to make sure that businesses can get it up and running as fast as possible, so they can hire workers and make money and all those other nice things we like to see."
Officials at the OLCC advising Huffman had apparently been unaware of the rules change, triggering Huffman's decision to close the bar.
WWeek 2015