A bar and restaurant that includes a dog-friendly outdoor area for dining and games is proposed on W. Main Street.
Local restaurateur Kevin Paul is planning to renovate a building at 904 W. Main St. that previously housed Scott Pools and Bergman Automotive to become the site of The Boneyard Bar & Restaurant – a working name that might be changed – and a second future retail tenant. A recreation area including bocce ball and shuffleboard is planned on gravel behind the building.
“It’s going to be like a very California or Austin open-air type setup,” Paul said at a Sept. 5 Carmel Plan Commission commercial committee meeting.
The committee, which is reviewing the architectural design, lighting and signage planned for the site, didn’t vote on the proposal and continued the matter to its next meeting. Committee members said they would like more information about parking and how the restaurant might partner to share spaces with nearby developments, including The Signature, which is under construction west of the site.
Paul’s other restaurant concepts in Carmel include The Brockway Pub, Danny Boy Beer Works and The GOAT, which is shut down for renovations that include adding restrooms and enclosing certain areas. The City of Carmel required the renovations as part of a plan to allow The GOAT to reopen after neighbors complained of noise late into the night and patrons trespassing on nearby private property.
Committee member Adam Aasen, who also serves on the Carmel City Council, asked Paul how he can assure his constituents this new concept won’t cause similar issues.
“(The GOAT) was a time and place. I think there were a boatload of mistakes made on multiple sides,” Paul said. “Everyone was well-intentioned. I think there’s still a correction that needs to be made with The GOAT. But certainly there are some things that I’ve learned, like don’t play music after 10 o’clock. Shut it down. Move it inside.”
The commercial committee is set to continue discussing plans for The Boneyard at 6 p.m. Oct. 3 at Carmel City Hall.
