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Mixing Cold Brews And Playgrounds

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 8, 2008

The Tampa City Council today is scheduled to hold a public hearing on whether to allow a restaurant at Ballast Point Park to sell beer and wine. It will be a hard call.

Look out the front of the Taste of Boston seafood restaurant, and it seems the perfect place for patrons to have a cold brew. The little eatery - it seats 25 inside and 24 outside - is adjacent to the Ballast Point Pier and offers a panoramic vista of Tampa Bay.

But look behind the restaurant and you see a large playground wholly incompatible with alcohol consumption.
Parents and grandparents who frequent the playground fear alcohol sales will make the park less family-friendly, if not dangerous.

The city staff supports the change, believing safeguards will prevent abuse. The alcohol could not be taken off the premises. The wet zoning would be subject to revocation should drinks be carried onto the park. The restaurant owner plans to fence off the outside patio.

The city, alas, does not have many affordable, waterfront getaways where one can enjoy an adult beverage. And since the restaurant leases the property from the city, officials have the leverage to demand tougher restrictions, such as limiting the hours of alcohol sales. Perhaps a way can be found to accommodate the request.

But the children should be council's paramount concern. Unless the families who use the playground agree the restrictions are sufficient, council should not take chances with the park's atmosphere or the children's safety.

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