Agenda Index City of Vancouver

CITY OF VANCOUVER

SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES

December 14, 1999

These items have been minuted concurrently.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Don Lee,
SECONDED by Cllr. Louis,

1. (a) Entertainment Centres, including Family Sports

Staff Opening Comments

· the excellent operational history of the Score, the sole existing Family Sports and Entertainment Centre in the city;
· the moratorium placed by Council on other such operations to allow staff to monitor;
· previous arcade regulations, and the new definition reached for Entertainment Centre;
· hours of operation, age limitations and similar regulations;
· the rationale for the recommended policy decisions;
· examples of games and simulated activities; and
· security measures.

· proposed locations within the complex (there will be no first floor frontage);
· types of games;
· the size of the facility (approximately 3% of the shopping centre will be converted to this use);
· age restrictions and hours of operation;
· the public process;
· the proposed revision to Figure 3 - Land Use; and
· .the rationale for recommending approval, including potential for revitalization of the neighbourhood.

Applicant Opening Comments

Summary of Correspondence

(a) Entertainment Centres, including

(b) Text Amendment: 88 West Pender Street

· Four letters opposed to the application
· One letter in support of the application

Speakers

· this is a poor location to which to attract youth, because of the proximity of numerous crack cocaine dealers, pubs and cheap cigarettes;
· the facility will draw young males who are statistically more attracted to criminal activity;
· parking security is a concern - the Downtown Eastside already has a high incidence of vehicle break-and-enters;
· the Downtown Eastside needs more Police;
· sports fans passing through the area often behave disrespectfully of the Downtown Eastside and its inhabitants - concern was expressed that patrons of the entertainment centres may also behave disrespectfully, with resultant fears for personal security;
· the aforementioned article submitted by CAGE was referenced by a number of speakers as evidence that young high frequency players are more likely to become involved in gambling later in life;
· video games have also been linked to desensitization and violence among children, risk-taking and compulsive behaviour;
· youth who have difficulties already are more likely to be drawn to addiction and violent behaviour,
· youth at risk are more likely to come from poor families, and will not have readily available disposable income for such activities;
· entertainment centres are not beneficial to the mental health of families and children;
· the moratorium should be continued until the consequences of video game use are clear - a decision should be deferred pending further review;
· the moratorium should not be lifted, but if it is, Council should at least ban violent games;
· the prevalence of violence in video games is appalling - an exact rating system for video games is required before any such centres should be considered;
· this proposal sets a precedent for combining children's and adults' games in the same facility;
· Council has given its commitment to ban redemption games;
· approval will open the door to more and more children's arcades in Vancouver;
· concern was expressed that the proposed process for considering future entertainment centre applications through privately initiated rezoning applications will take the process out of City Council's hands and leave decisions to staff;
· while changes are needed in the Downtown Eastside, this is not the model to use -artists and the disadvantaged contribute much to the special character of the community and should not be forced out;
· the Downtown Eastside is a community where people care for and look after each other, and development in the area should reflect this ethos;
· the proposed development is tacky and gaudy;
· there is already an entertainment centre in the vicinity (the Score), and the need for more was questioned;
· a school and a Park Board skateboarding facility are planned for this area;
· there will be no benefits to the neighbourhood.

· the area has decayed, and development will bring more families with disposable income to the Downtown Eastside;
· legitimate businesses will help to clean up the area and make it safer;
· drug dealers and users will be less comfortable on the street with more shoppers in the area;
· a school located in this area would be able to educate children about what happens with drug use, by showing examples;
· the big problem in this area is drugs, not having games in a store;
· positive experiences are needed to draw people to the Downtown Eastside and assist in its revitalization;
· the Keefer Steps skateboarders are a greater concern to residents of 183 Keefer Place than this proposal;
· the same enhancements are needed as were provided on the Concord Pacific site;
· although artificial violence is a valid concern, this is just a store that wants a different marketing concept - Benetton won't be selling any violent equipment, and won't want violent games.

Applicant Closing Comments

Staff Closing Comments

Council Decision

Council agreed to refer its decision on both the Entertainment Centres report and the application for 88 West Pender to the Council meeting immediately following the Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets meeting on December 16, 1999.

RISE FROM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Don Lee,

ADOPT REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

MOVED by Cllr. Don Lee,
SECONDED by Cllr. Price,

The Special Council adjourned at 10:35 p.m.

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ph991214.htm

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