Facebook / McIntyre's Southtown
McIntyre's Southtown was raided by police in late April, roughly a month after Councilman Mario Bravo's office submitted multiple inquiries to city staff about the establishment's permits.
Despite Councilman Mario Bravo's denial that his office initiated a raid last month on a Southtown bar, emails obtained by the Current show that one of his staffers repeatedly contacted code enforcement officials to raise questions about that nightspot a few weeks earlier.
The revelation comes as St. Mary’s Strip and Southtown business owners allege that Bravo’s District 1 office is unfairly targeting bars and restaurants in the popular entertainment areas to appease downtown-area neighborhood associations. Tensions between neighbors and businesses in those two areas are strained over concerns about noise, parking, crime and litter.
"I believe very much that staffers in the District 1 office are pushing Development Services and the City Manager's Office to do all this sort of stuff," restaurant and bar owner Chad Carey told the Current. "To hassle us with code enforcement, to pursue this residential-only parking permit thing, to exacerbate the Noise Ordinance Task Force."
Carey owns the Strip's Little Death, Rumble and Paper Tiger, along with Southtown's Hot Joy.
Bravo didn't respond to multiple interview requests for this story. However, he has said in the past that he works to represent both residents and businesses in downtown's District 1.
Carey and others have pointed to the Friday, April 28 police raid of sports bar McIntyre's Southtown, 1035 S. Presa St., as an egregious city overreach . As many as 15 San Antonio police officers swept into the bar to respond to complaints that it over-served patrons and provided drinks to underage customers, according to an eyewitness.
On May 2, Carey tweeted an accusation that the District 1 office issued the complaints that led to the raid. Bravo denied it.
"Specifically saying so right now: We didn't play a role and we were surprised to learn that this happened," said Bravo in a tweet replying to Carey. "I spoke with one of the owners of McIntyre's today and followed up by calling the Deputy City Manager to ask what was going on."Specifically saying so right now: We didn't play a role and we were surprised to learn that this happened. I spoke with one of the owners of McIntyre's today and followed up by calling the Deputy City Manager to ask what was going on.
— Mario Bravo (@MarioBravo) May 3, 2023
After this story ran, Bravo told the Current that District 1 Senior Director of Downtown Operations Stacy Jones had contacted the San Antonio Police Department prior to officers showing up at McIntyre's. He said he was unaware of that outreach prior to his tweet.
He said Jones made the outreach after residents raised concerns that a San Antonio Fear Free Environment (SAFFE) officer hadn't been responsive to their concerns about the bar allegedly over-serving patrons and selling to underage drinkers.
Records obtained by the Current show that District 1 Director of Zoning and Planning Anisa Schell — a former Tobin Hill Community Association officer — peppered city staffers with requests for documents, certificates and permits related to McIntyre's.
According to records obtained by the Current, Schell sent six emails from March 20-28 to San Antonio Planning and Land Development Manager Kristie Flores seeking details about the Southtown bar.
Schell initially requested a copy of McIntyre's certificate of occupancy, citing a complaint from the Lavaca Homeowners Association about alleged overcrowding at the venue and concerns about loud music.
"They told me that they felt the business was operating a nightclub and had outdoor amplified music," Schell wrote to Flores.
The Lavaca Homeowners Association didn't respond to interview requests from the Current, and Schell referred inquiries to District 1's communications staff. After this article ran, she told the Current in an interview that she had no contact with the police about the bar and that inquiries to city staff about zoning and permits are a routine part of her job.
In the March email exchange, Flores informed Schell that McIntyre's had the appropriate zoning to operate as a bar and tavern, meaning it’s allowed to sell food and alcoholic beverages and to host live entertainment.
According to documents, the city mailed notices to 45 property owners within 200 feet of McIntyre's prior to giving it that zoning designation in 2020. Three returned in favor; none came back in opposition. The Lavaca Neighborhood Association returned its notice in favor of the zoning change, the paperwork shows.
The scrutiny over how Bravo's office is dealing with strife between residents and business owners comes as he seeks reelection in a June 10 runoff against political novice Sukh Kaur, an education consultant who took roughly 34% of the vote to Bravo's 26%.
St. Patrick's Day
According to the emails obtained by Current, Schell sent a March 25 inquiry to Planning and Land Development's Flores about a St. Patrick's Day event held at McIntyre's.
"Apparently McIntyres had a large event in their parking lot on St. Patrick's Day," Schell wrote in that email. "They set up a large canopy over their parking area and had several hundred customers there with amplified music outdoors. For an event of this type, would they need any special permits or is this allowed?"
It's unclear from Schell's email whether Bravo's office received complaints about the event. When Schell referred the Current to District 1's communications staff, she specifically declined to comment on what prompted her to ask Flores about the St. Patrick's Day gathering.
In her response, Flores told Schell that McIntyre's had the appropriate temporary permit to hold such an outdoor event.
Regardless of whether Schell intended to create trouble for McIntyre's with her multiple inquiries, Carey alleged Southtown and St. Mary's Strip businesses saw an uptick in interactions with city staff after Bravo was elected in 2021.
“We also started getting Code Enforcement coming through,” Carey said. “Code Enforcement comes through [saying], we want to review your COO, we want to review the information on your building permit, we want to see what is permitted under your zoning designation — and that is coming from the District 1 office.”
Indeed, those are among the same questions Schell asked staffers to look up regarding McIntyre's in her email exchanges.
Aaron Peña, owner of the St. Mary's Strip mainstay Squeezebox, said he's also seen significant uptick in visits from city personnel during Bravo's time in office.
"I mean, I had no problems the last six years of operations at Squeezebox, and the last two years have been continuous harassment, from whether it be Code Enforcement to TABC — any of those avenues for somebody who understands how to work and basically exploit bureaucracy," he said.
A partner in another St. Mary's Strip nightspot agreed that city scrutiny increased after Bravo took office. The person, who asked not to be named for fear of political blowback, said Schell's history as a neighborhood activist raises questions about her ability to play fair with bars and restaurants.
"She seems determined to make it difficult for businesses to function on the Strip," the partner said.
15 officers
McIntyre's management declined comment on the late April raid. However, a witness, who asked that their name be withheld due to concerns about keeping their job, told the Current the incident occurred after an undercover agent reported the establishment for over-serving patrons and providing drinks to minors.
In a letter to the Current, Assistant City Attorney James Kopp acknowledged that San Antonio Police Department personnel took part in a Friday, April 28, raid at McIntyre’s.
However, Kopp said the department filed an injunction with the Texas Attorney General's Office to withhold additional details of the raid. Police officials did so due to ongoing litigation and in an effort to protect undercover agents' identities, he added.
None of Schell's email inquiries about McIntyre's mention underage drinking, over-serving patrons or other alleged illegal activity. Even so, it’s not lost on Carey that the police raid on the bar happened so soon after her multiple inquiries about it.
"We are absolutely at odds with the City of San Antonio on just about every front. Parking. Noise. Code enforcement. SAPD criminal enforcement," Carey said. "So, all of this [comes back] to this McIntyre's raid. Why did that happen? Vice and SAPD don't go out randomly looking to kick ass. That's not them responding to a noise complaint from someone in the neighborhood about the sports game being too loud."
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