It’s hard for some people to eat boiled crawfish without a beer in their hand.
So when customers walk into Pit-N-Peel at 2101 Government St. and ask for a beer to go with their meal, owner Elvondae “Von” Raybon has to kindly tell them he does not have any.
“Every customer that walks through the door asks for beer, asks for alcohol,” Raybon says.
To appease his customers, Raybon has applied to the East Baton Rouge Parish Planning Commission to have the property rezoned from LC1 light commercial to C-AB-1 restaurant commercial alcoholic beverage.
Raybon says he would not have to make any physical changes to the building, in which he has operated Pit-N-Peel since November. He would possibly just serve beer and wine.
Last March, Raybon told Daily Report he would not apply for an alcohol permit upon initially opening because he wanted to focus on the food.
“We’re up and operating, but without that other attraction, customers tend to look past us,” Raybon says.
The Planning Commission will take up the application at its April 18 meeting, along with any others filed by Thursday’s deadline to be included on the meeting agenda, assuming there are no issues with the applications.
Other applications filed before Thursday’s deadline include plans to expand Capitol City Produce and an application to rezone the Choctaw Village Shopping Center from a dual M1 light industrial and C1 light commercial designation to HC1 heavy commercial to allow a tenant, Clyde McClendon, to open a small car dealership.
McClendon, who has experience selling cars in Hammond, envisions starting his dealership, D&C Auto Express, small, with about 15 to 20 vehicles under $6,000, and then possibly expanding.
He says he and the property owner are trying for HC1 rezoning because it is similar to M1 light industrial and allows similar uses. The front of the property is zoned M1 light industrial, then changes to C1 light commercial about halfway through the 6.47-acre property.
McClendon says he will not repair vehicles on the property and only intends to sell them.
—Ryan Broussard
