Batavia council favors plan to help comedy club open in ex-bank

An owner of a music club and restaurant is seeking help from Batavia to open a comedy club in its downtown.

The Comedy Vault would be at 18 E. Wilson St. in the space last occupied by a State Bank of Geneva branch, according to city administrator Laura Newman. One of its owners also owns the EvenFlow nightclub in downtown Geneva.

The club's owners estimate it will cost about $250,000 to remodel the building, according to Newman. They are seeking a $25,000 grant and a $75,000 loan from the city to help pay for the work.

Aldermen this week voted 13-0 to have the grant and loan documents drawn up. The council will make a final decision on the request later.

If approved, the four-year loan would charge 2% interest. All the money would come from the tax-increment financing District 1 fund. The TIF account money is meant to be spent on projects that improve the value of properties in the district, which covers much of the downtown. There was about $432,000 in the district's fund at the end of 2019, according to a recent report.

The building's owner, Michael Marconi, said he will seek aid from the city to help pay for the installation of fire sprinklers. He does not know yet how much that will cost.

Alderman Alan Wolff said installing the required sprinklers would help other buildings on that block, which have common walls. He reminded aldermen that the city used to have a grant program to encourage sprinkler installations.

Newman said the club would help other businesses in the area, as patrons might visit other bars and restaurants before and after shows. The former bank building is across the street from the North River Street "woonerf," a pedestrian-friendly street with several restaurants, pubs and shops. It's also close to the new Batavia Boardwalk shops.