City of Goshen takes action against Main Street bar

GOSHEN, Ind. -- The City of Goshen is enforcing a nuisance ordinance against El Imperial Botanero Bar after a dozen police reports were made about the business in the span of a month.

According to The Elkhart Truth, police were called 12 separate times in September and October to El Imperial, located at 113 S. Main St.

District 4 Goshen Council Member, Megan Peel, explained the business violated the new June nuisance ordinance due to the number of calls in such a short timeframe, and a lack of willingness to work with the city.

“When all of that combines and combines and combines, you can’t evict or do something with just one ordinance violation, but if you have so many over a course of a few months then it becomes a nuisance and that property needs to be dealt with,” said Peel.

Peel explained that the city tries to work with an establishment that’s experiencing chronic violations of the ordinance before acting, but if that business does not comply, they will first be given fines. If they continue to have violations, the city is also able to revoke the rental permit of that property.

“We want to make sure that there is a pathway to success with these properties… but by the time that a property gets to this level… they have a lot of work to do,” said Peel.

Statement from Goshen Mayor Gina Leichty:

“Keeping Goshen beautiful and safe for residents, visitors, and business owners is a continuous priority of our city staff, emergency responders, and elected officials. In June, the City Council enacted an ordinance specifically addressing chronic disorderly properties, covering both residential and commercial areas. This ordinance is designed to resolve unlawful situations that threaten community well-being and place considerable strain on City resources.

While the City strives to work collaboratively with property owners to resolve these issues, Goshen City Ordinance 5185 provides a legal framework to address ongoing disorderly conduct when initial and ongoing efforts fall short. We remain committed to using all available measures to uphold public safety and maintain community standards for our residents.

It’s important to note that the ordinance includes protections for vulnerable populations, such as victims of criminal activities and individuals with physical or mental impairments, to ensure they are not unfairly impacted by enforcement actions.

Since enacting the ordinance, the City has followed its procedures by notifying property owners, engaging in discussions, outlining remediation measures, and evaluating corrective steps.

The property in question has now advanced to the next stage, and the City is taking action as outlined in the ordinance. Details of this action are publicly available. Per the City’s practice, it will not provide further comment while this case pends in court.”