River Rose

Though negotiations between his group and the River Parks Authority have yet to result in a lease agreement, Tom Dittus, one of the members of Swamphouse Partners LLC, the group chosen to develop a restaurant site on the east bank of the Arkansas River, believes it's only a matter of time before that happens.

Dittus said negotiations began in early April but were slowed when one of the Swamphouse partners had a death in the family. He expects negotiations to resume this week.

"It's been a real comfortable process up to this point with everybody agreeing there will be a meeting point that fits everybody's requirements," he said. "We're really encouraged we'll be able to get it done."

Hammering out a lease agreement is only the first step for the Swamphouse Group, which was chosen by the authority's Board of Trustees on March 12 to develop the 3.8-acre site at 1924 Riverside Drive. Dittus and his group will be resurrecting the Blue Rose Café, a longtime fixture in the nearby Brookside district that closed in 2001, at the new development. The group will construct a 3,000-square-foot building on piers with a patio that extends over the water.

"There are many components to this," Dittus said. "It's a unique lease negotiation situation because it's publicly owned land. So our ability to create a viable entity down there depends on a lot of different factors. For us to maximize our ability to create tax revenue for the city depends on the hours we can operate. So there's the curfew issue to be discussed."

Another point up for negotiation is the fate of the existing River's Edge building, the small facility from which a self-service restaurant was run at the site from 1996 to 2008. Dittus said the Swamphouse group would like to maintain that entity as a freestanding addition to the Blue Rose, serving as a place where park users could purchase items without coming to the restaurant.

"We want to enhance the River Parks as it exists by catering to not just the people we'll be bringing in to the restaurant, but the people who already use the park," he said. "Eventually, we'd like to open a skate rental and bike rental and give people the opportunity for an energy bar or a bottle of water."

Swamphouse Partners also will need to acquire a 404 Permit from the U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers, which Dittus described as a document that will satisfy that organization's concerns about the restaurant's impact on the river. Dittus said obtaining such a document involves a process that normally takes three to five months. But he said city engineers have indicated to him the project may be eligible for a federal permit, which can be a speedier process.

Additionally, Dittus' group will need to obtain a special exemption from the Board of Adjustment that will allow the restaurant to operate as an accessory use to the park. Dittus said he has received encouraging feedback on how that process might unfold, as well.

Finally, Dittus said he and his group will be proactive in reaching an agreement with all concerned parties when it comes to the restaurant's live music.

"Here's what we will do," he said. "We will negotiate the outdoor music with both the River Parks Authority and the neighborhood association," he said.

Dittus said when the Blue Rose features outdoor music, as planned for warmer months, the acts will play toward the river, so as to mitigate its effects on nearby residents. He said the restaurant is eager to avoid any conflicts or ill feeling with its neighbors.

"Any kind of adverse relationship just creates problems for us, for the city and for River Parks," he said. "The quality of our live music and the support we had from the live music community was a huge part of our success (at the Blue Rose) and will continue to be an integral part of creating our ambiance and atmosphere."

For now, Dittus' plans call for the Blue Rose to feature live music each Thursday through Saturday, although that could blossom to nightly entertainment, he said. He plans to resurrect the old Blue Rose's mantra of "live music with integrity," with an emphasis on blues, jazz and red dirt styles.

All those factors have contributed to a change in the projected opening date for the new Blue Rose. In his original proposal to the River Parks Authority, Dittus presented a timeline that would have had the restaurant open by the middle of September. But considering the many issues that have to be resolved before construction on the new building can even begin, he said a more realistic projection would have the Blue Rose opening its doors in early 2010, though Dittus cautioned that date is contingent on everything falling into place as expected.

Since it won't own the land upon which the restaurant is situated, Swamphouse also will need to negotiate an agreement lengthy enough to allow the company to recoup its capital investment. Dittus said he's not worried about that happening.

"We are so confident that we'll reach an agreement that's favorable to us and the city," he said. "And we are so honored and excited to have this incredible opportunity."

River Parks Authority executive director Matt Meyer said he was pleased with the way negotiations have gone with the Swamphouse Group and said he didn't anticipate any snags in the two parties reaching an agreement. But in the unlikely event the group withdrew as the developer of the space, he said he would favor the idea of approaching the other applicant for the space--McNellie's owner Elliot Nelson--and seeing if he still had an interest in it.

Meyer said he didn't know if the authority would be required to solicit other proposals and go through a second selection process.

"I would yield to our attorney's opinion on that," he said.

The members of Swamphouse Partners are investing $500,000 in the project, which also will receive $250,000 in pubic funding that was earmarked for the project years ago through the third-penny sales tax.

"That $250,000 will build the new parking lot," he said. "It also will include demolition of the bathroom facility and will be used to draw the existing utilities to the site," he said.

Dittus said the task of opening a business in a new building on publicly owned land while satisfying the expectations of several other entities is not an easy thing to do.

"This is a different deal," he said, comparing this project to his other forays in the restaurant business, including his experience this summer managing Ugly's Grill and Bar at Thunder Bay Marina on Grand Lake. "From that standpoint and my lack of familiarity with that process, this was fairly intimidating.

"I just want to fry some fries and cook some burgers and have a good time."

Dittus is pleased he will have the opportunity to do that at this site. When asked if could envision starting a business at a more desirable location anywhere in the city, he thought for a moment, then replied flatly, "No," before breaking into laughter.

"This is going to be what we hope is a real focal point to the city," he said, adding that he is excited about the numerous changes to the river in recent years. "We feel like it's going to get even better. To be the first cog in the wheel on the north side of the river is exciting."