Towson Law Firm Plans To Appeal Recher Liquor License

A Towson attorney said he plans to appeal a decision Monday to renew the liquor license held by the owners of the former Recher Theatre.

Charles Brooks said he could file the appeal the decision of the Board of Liquor Licenses Commissioners as early as the end of next week.

On Monday, the board dismissed Brooks' challenge to the renewal because he failed to have all of the community members who signed the petition present at the hearing, according to Mike Mohler, chief administrator for the board.

Liquor license allow anyone to challenge a renewal as long as at least ten business owners or members of the community in the district where the licenses is issued signs a petition. Those rules then require that all who sign the petition appear at the board hearing.

The appeal would have to be filed in Baltimore County Circuit Court within the next 30 days. The hearing would be on the record and Brooks would have to prove that the board made an illegal decision or acted in arbitrary and capricious manner.

"I will argue both," Brooks said.

The Towson attorney challenged the license renewal after plans to turn the concert venue into a nightclub or dance venue became public.

The club announced its plans to close at the end of April and reopen later in the year as a nightclub featuring electronic music and DJ acts. the new venue would be called the Torrent Lounge.

Some Towson residents raised concerns about the plan.

Brooks said he was concerned about how the proposed club would change Towson and said he had concerns about safety issues. He highlighted a stabbing incident over the weekend at the Charles Village Pub.

"Does Towson really need a nightclub?" Brooks said. "I mean, really?"