Blue Parrot too Crowded?

A proposal to turn The Blue Parrot from a nightclub into a dance hall was withdrawn during an Oct. 22 meeting of the Fayetteville Planning Commission after Commissioner Lee Ward said he was going to vote against the change.

Richard Shewmaker, who owns the building where the nightclub is located, said a city ordinance allows dance halls to accommodate more customers than nightclubs. In this case, the request was to raise occupancy from 151 to 239 at The Blue Parrot.

“The issue was to try to get a few more people in there,” Shewmaker said. “The issue was never dancing … There is no dancing, and there will be no dancing.”

Dave Bass opened The Blue Parrot in August in a 4,200-SF location at 603 W. Dickson St. In March 1999, he opened Dave’s on Dickson, a dance hall in an 8,900-SF warehouse just south of the building that houses The Blue Parrot. Both buildings are owned by Shewmaker. The Blue Parrot location previously housed Sound Warehouse and was home for many years to Polk Furniture.

Shewmaker said Bass is studying other options that might allow him to increase capacity at The Blue Parrot. Bass said he couldn’t comment on what his next step will be.

Shewmaker, who lives in an apartment above The Blue Parrot, said the business wouldn’t have live music if it is changed to a dance hall. Shewmaker said the music at The Blue Parrot would be no louder as a dance hall than it currently is as a nightclub.

In the past, Shewmaker had a conflict with George’s Majestic Lounge, next door to The Blue Parrot, over the loudness of music coming from George’s beer garden. The owners of George’s built a concrete wall and installed a tarp over the beer garden to help muffle the sound, and Shewmaker said he has no more complaints.

Shewmaker said he is not a “partner” of Bass’ in either of the bars, but he was trying to help Bass get The Blue Parrot open and operating smoothly.