The Hamilton County Alcoholic Beverage Board on Feb. 13 denied a petition for a beer and wine permit for Smoky Row Pizza, a dining concept planned at the Smokey Row Family Swim Club.
The board meeting at the Hamilton County Government and Judicial Center in Noblesville drew dozens of neighbors in opposition to the permit and plan for the club at 4255 E. Smoky Row Rd. in Carmel. None of the neighbors in attendance spoke in support of the permit.
Josh Trisler, who said he has a land contract to purchase the building from Paradigm Construction, applied for the permit for Smoky Row Pizza as part of a plan to expand food options available at the clubhouse.
“I understand and respect the decision and wishes of the neighborhood,” he stated in a Feb. 14 email to Current. “The hard part is that there are just as many people who do want to be able to have beer and wine, and that permit was the only way to allow it legally.”
He said he intends to move forward with plans to operate Smoky Row Pizza at the site. To do so would likely require a use variance approval from Carmel’s Board of Zoning Appeals.
“It is better to think of it as an expansion of the previous concession offerings rather than a true restaurant,” Trisler said. “The goal is to make it like modern ‘country clubs’ that have greater food options. We will continue to work with the city to achieve that goal.”
Several residents at the Feb. 13 hearing questioned whether the pool would reopen and remonstrated against converting the clubhouse into a restaurant.
“What is going on there is a commercial business not a recreational facility. We do not need a pizza restaurant in our residential neighborhood,” said Gail Bardach, a resident of Foster Manor.
Randy Travis, who has lived adjacent to the pool for 17 years, said he doesn’t support the proposed plan.
“There are 12 pizza restaurants nearby,” he said. “We want to keep our quiet and well-maintained residential neighborhood.”
Other neighbors cited parking, traffic and safety as other concerns.
Paradigm Construction purchased the property in early 2023 from a local family that had owned and operated the swim club for 17 years. In mid-July 2023, the Hamilton County Health Department ordered the pool to close after discovering health code violations. Facility owners posted on Facebook at the time that the pool pump could not be salvaged, and the club has been closed since then.
Trisler said he intends to reopen the pool this summer.
“We are working with the city to achieve that goal,” he said. “As just a pool and memberships it cannot make enough money to pay its expenses and upkeep. Keep in mind it is a 40-year-old building. There needs to be other revenue sources within the allowable uses.”
Paradigm Construction did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.
