Quality of Life

As a part of protecting the Quality of Life of our neighborhood, we are opposed to the expansion of The Argyle club. The Argyle has proposed adding “Argyle Hall” – a 10,000 sf event center on their existing parking lot. The event center would allow them to increase their capacity to host 1,200 guests. Their proposed Specific Use Permit will allow them to host events of 250 (double the size of the Slick-Urschel Room) every day of the week as well as an additional 52 events of even greater size, 4 events of unlimited size and an unlimited number of celebration of life and funeral events.

Their business plan (see link below) calls for intensive use of this major venue.  Increased capacity and frequency of use means more people, more cars, more delivery vehicles, more noise, more traffic. The existing problems will be dramatically magnified and create a larger nuisance in the neighborhood.

Parking and Traffic

The Argyle’s current off-street parking is grossly inadequate. The Special Use Permit only requires them to provide half the parking required by zoning and industry standards.  With the Event Center, the 35,000+ sf facility will have a code allowable occupancy of 1,283 people.  Using the SUP’s stated parking ratio of 1 space per 2.5 people . . . 513 spaces will be required. The Argyle proposes to provide only 245 spaces. Of the total, 81 spaces are on TBRI/Argyle owned property, 56 spaces are leased on property that is currently being used illegally and 108 are under US281 leased from TxDOT. There is no exacting requirements for them to rectify the 250-space deficit other than ambiguous and vague language about “discouraging guests” from parking on neighborhood streets, “modifications of requirements” for ride-shares and “other remote parking locations with shuttle bus service”. The SUP states that neither TBRI nor The Argyle will purchase any additional property other than 401 Torcido . . . but it cleverly does not forbid TBRI or The Argyle from accepting other properties purchased by others and donated to TBRI.  We have been told that “they” have a right of first refusal on the Buzzini property. They could accept it as a gift and there are no prohibitions against tearing it down and requesting a “philanthropy parking” SUP. The Word house is similarly un-protected and ripe for demolition and conversion to a massive parking lot.   

The SUP has no actual traffic plan . . . again, only imprecise vague language that valets, ride shares and shuttle buses “should avoid” neighborhood streets and travel on Patterson.   Furthermore, it is physically impossible for buses to get back to Patterson without traversing Argyle or Torcido. Unfortunately the neighborhood knows exactly what happens when the club hosts a 1,200-person event like the Fiesta 2022 Queen’s Ball . . .it’s absolute chaos.

Noise

The Argyle continues to claim that all the noise complaints will be solved by moving the music into the Event Center. During negotiations with the City and the Argyle we suggested that if “all amplified sound” was prohibited then the noise problem would be solved permanently.  The Argyle was firmly opposed to this approach. Additionally, they were strongly opposed to a prohibition on tents on the lawn.  Given their history – auctions, drunken wedding toasts, etc. – we are deeply skeptical that “noise” complaints will be eliminated. The Event Center has large openings and terraces facing the neighborhood, so it is inevitable that parties that run until 1:00 am on Friday and Saturday will continue to disrupt the peace and quiet of the  neighborhood. Our association believes that Residents are entitled to the peaceful use of their homes without the disruption of mega parties, bus traffic and constant service vehicles.

NPLAH Resources

We are not the first group of neighbors who have had concerns about the Argyle. When The Argyle Hotel was sold to TBRI’s predecessor The Argyle club formed in 1955 as a “Private Dinner Club”, many neighbors were strongly opposed. The zoning variance that was negotiated with the City and neighbors had 8 very specific resolutions/requirements. The Argyle, while growing from 200 members to nearly 1,600, has repeatedly broken most of the resolutions since that time. The City of Alamo Heights has refused to enforce the variance provisions and has allowed the non-conforming uses to expand in violation of our codes and SF-A requirements.

The entire ordinance with variance and resolutions:

• 1955 Variance and Resolutions
• Argyle Proposed Special Use Permit
• Argyle Hall Event Center Business Plan