Meridian City Council unanimously denies permit for nightclub on Eagle Road intersection

MERIDIAN, Idaho (CBS2) — On Tuesday night the Meridian city council voted unanimously to deny the permit application for The Oasis, citing, among other things, lack of adequate parking.

Numerous people are speaking out against the construction of a new nightclub in Meridian.

On Tuesday, more than 100 people attended a city council meeting at Meridian City Hall to hear arguments for and against the development of The Oasis nightclub, which would be constructed at the southwest corner of Eagle and Ustick Road.

It would be 10,000 square feet -- along with a maximum capacity of 1,000 people. Owners say the venue will feature $2 million in the "latest in sound and lighting technology, including one of the largest multi-point touch interactive dance floors in the world."

But complaints are already growing over the limited parking in the area and what some say was a troubled application process.

“Thousands of residents in the city of Meridian are against this project,” said Jonathan Hagar, a local resident.

The city council says before they approve such a project, it must not negatively impact the surrounding community.

Owner Brian Tsai tried to assure the community over the project.

“I could have paid half as much rent in another city, but I wanted to build in Meridian because it's so nice,” Tsai told the council.

Detractors say there’s been a lack of transparency in Tsai's application process -- accusing him of holding public hearings in inconvenient locations at inconvenient times, and not disclosing capacity information.

"The application has a lot of false and changing information," Hagar said.

Tsaicounters that more crime happens at gas stations and school campuses than nightclubs, and that he will put his heart and soul into the project.

“I have spent my entire life savings on this project, and I will not let it go unmanaged," he said.

You can watch the council meeting below.

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