DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Just a block from bustling Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray Beach are residential homes and apartments. But coming soon to the area is Bounce Sporting Club, a high-end sports bar with locations in New York and Chicago that has some nearby residents concerned.
"It'll change the complexion of Delray," resident Rita Rana told WPTV.
Rana has been living just outside of the city's entertainment district, which runs from Swinton Avenue to Federal Highway, for 20 years.
That's where construction has begun on Bounce, which sits on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Federal Highway.
Owners of Bounce are asking the city to stay open until 2 a.m.
Because the development's property line is within 300 feet of a residential area and outside of the entertainment district, it needs special approval to stay open after midnight.
"Can they not make it be profitable prior to 12 a.m.?" Rana said.
Rana said if the bar gets special approval, it could set a precedent for other businesses to follow.
"It would set precedent and then any restaurant or bar within that specific space will have the right to open up also until 2 a.m.," Rana said.
Among some residents' concerns are noise, traffic and safety. But attorney Neil Schiller, who represents Bounce, said the owners "want to be good neighbors."
Schiller said the owners plan to close the patio and end live music at 11 p.m. to discourage noise complaints.
"We've taken great pains to try to put everything and keep all of the impacts internal to the space so they don't spill out into the community," Schiller said.
The 4,400-square-foot establishment is seeking an extended closing time to allow for those sporting events that end after midnight, such as West Coast games and pay-per-view fights.
"We don't want to end at midnight and have people go home in the third quarter of the NBA Finals game," Schiller said.
Rana said she wants the bar to be successful, but she'd also like to see what issues arise first before the city grants the exemption.
"Why make a decision prior to this establishment opening?" she said.
The owners of Bounce were hosting an information session at 6 p.m. Monday ahead of Tuesday's City Commission vote on the matter.
