ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: April 12, 2001 Author/Local: Guy Gusdal/871-6461
RTS No. 1936
CC File No. 2614-1
P&E: April 26, 2001
TO: |
Standing Committee on Planning and Environment |
FROM: |
Chief License Inspector |
SUBJECT: |
980 Granville - Relocation of Two Class `C' Cabarets
|
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council advise the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch it does not endorse the application by 467794 BC Ltd. (The Rage) and 476259 BC Ltd. (Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club) for two Class `C' Cabarets at 974-980 (980) Granville Street as it does not meet Council Policy as established by an extensive public process.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing.
COUNCIL POLICY
On June 19, 1997, Council approved the Theatre Row Liquor Licensing Policy as follows:
A. THAT the 700, 800 and 900 blocks of Granville Street be designated as the Theatre Row Entertainment District and that the Director of Central Area Planning, in consultation with the Director of Legal Services, report back with appropriate amendments to the Downtown Official Development Plan and other relevant bylaw and policy documents to encourage a variety of entertainment uses and activities.
B. THAT allowances be made in principle for a combined total of up to 1,000 Class `A' (Hotel Pub or Lounge), Class `C' (Cabaret) and Class `D' (Neighbourhood Pub) liquor licensed seats on Theatre Row, consistent with the Theatre Row Policy Strategy and generally distributed as follows:
1. 700 block of Granville: Two cabarets, or one cabaret and two neighbourhood pubs, or one cabaret and one hotel pub and/or lounge and one neighbourhood pub.
2. 800 block of Granville: Two neighbourhood pubs, or one hotel pub and/or lounge and a neighbourhood pub, or possible consideration of a cabaret on the west side of Granville and one neighbourhood pub.
3. 900 block of Granville: Two cabarets and two neighbourhood pubs, or one cabaret and three neighbourhood pubs, or one cabaret, two neighbourhood pubs and one hotel pub/lounge.
On December 11, 1997, Council approved amendments to the Theatre Row Liquor Licensing Policy as follows:
THAT only proposals for Class A, C or D liquor licenses which result in a reduction of seats in the residential areas in or near Downtown South be considered for the Theatre Row Entertainment District until December 1998, except small lounges associated with new hotels and that these small lounges be excluded from the 1,000 seats identified for Theatre Row;
THAT Council policy for the distribution of new licensed seats in the 900 block of Granville Street be amended to allow for up to two (130 seat maximum) cabarets and three neighbourhood pubs.
On September 14, 2000, Council further recommended that:
A. THAT Council amend the seat relocation policy for Theatre Row Entertainment District by expanding the area eligible to qualify for seat relocation to consider any Hotel Class `A' Lounge/Pub or Class `C' Cabaret liquor license establishments in a residential area or area of significant concern within the City of Vancouver.
FURTHER THAT once the existing support-in-principle approvals have received either final endorsement or have failed to satisfy the conditions of their approval within the specified time limit, then preference is to be given to applications involving premise relocation from the Granville South area of the downtown peninsula.
On January 30, 2001, Council recommended that:
THAT Council not grant favourable consideration to future applications in the Granville Street Theatre Row Entertainment District until the current supported applications are either open and operating or withdrawn, the community and city resource impacts of the new establishments are evaluated and staff reports these findings to Council with recommendations for the Entertainment District.
SUMMARY
Staff recommends that the Council policy not to favourably consider future applications in the Entertainment District be maintained and supported. Staff acknowledges that the themes of the proposed cabarets, particularly the comedy format of Yuk Yuk's, would complement the district by expanding the variety of entertainment options. However, the concentration of seats in the Entertainment District and on the 900 block is a serious concern for staff, and approval of these applications would further exacerbate any potential problems.
PURPOSE
467794 BC Ltd., (The Rage) and 476259 BC Ltd., (Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club) are requesting separate Council resolutions endorsing their applications to relocate existing cabarets to 974 -980 Granville Street.
BACKGROUND
The Rage is owned and operated by Ravinder (Rob) Moore and Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club by his brother Gurudial (Dale) Moore. They have operated at the Plaza of Nations since 1994, having taken over from previous cabarets which have been in existence since Expo 86. The leases for both cabarets have now expired, and as the landlord has exercised the demolition clause, the tenancy continues on a month-to-month basis.
The applicants have an option to buy the vacant lots at 974-980 Granville Street and propose to construct a purpose-built two storey building on the site. The Rage, which would be renamed The Escape, would be located on the main floor and Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club on the upper floor.
The proposed location would be designed to include a recessed area in front of the building to accommodate any lineups. The plan also includes daytime retail space in the form of a souvenir shop in front of the building. The applicants expect that a relocation to Granville Street would attract significantly more walk-in/pedestrian patrons than their existing location at the Plaza of Nations, and this would greatly enhance the viability of both businesses.
The Rage (The Escape)
The Rage is currently licensed for 350 seats but has a fire occupant load of 965, and the applicant is requesting the transfer of 250 of these seats to the proposed new location. On a fairly regular basis the cabaret requests temporary extensions to the liquor license to expand capacity to the fire occupant load limit for special occasions.
The applicant advises that the new cabaret would feature a mixture of DJ music and "cover bands" and be promoted to attract an upscale clientele.
Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club
Yuk Yuk's is currently licensed for 216 seats and the applicant is requesting the transfer of the seats to the proposed new location. The applicant advises that Yuk Yuk's promotes live shows by Canadian comedians and operates more like a theatre than a typical cabaret. There is one show on weekdays and two on Fridays and Saturdays which run for approximately ninety minutes. The club attracts a diverse audience of people who are in their twenties to sixties.
Area Surrounding Subject Premises
The subject premises are located in the Downtown (DD Zoning District). Within the survey area are retail, residential, office, cabaret, restaurant, arcade, hotel, social housing and theatre uses. The closest provincial government liquor store is located at 1120 Alberni Street. Also within a 1000 foot radius of the site are five Class `A' Pubs (1084 seats), eight Class `A' Lounges (961 seats, including the 325 seats in the Law Courts Inn), eight Class `C' Cabarets (3006 seats which includes the 900 seat Commodore Cabaret and the 605 seats in two cabarets that have either partial or full endorsement), five Class `D' Neighbourhood Pubs (260 seats, which includes the three neighbourhood pubs that have either partial or full endorsements of their applications) and approximately 20 licensed restaurants (refer to the appendix).
DISCUSSION
Policy Issues
The primary policy issue with these applications is the potential high concentration of seats in the Entertainment District, particularly in the 900 block, and the effect this will have on the policing strategy for the area. Approval of the applications as proposed would add another 466 seats, all in the 900 block, and this would put an additional strain on police resources and far exceed the policy limits developed for the Entertainment District and for the 900 block.
The policy for seat relocation is to give preference first to establishments moving out of the Granville South area and second from other residential neighbourhoods or areas of significant concern within the city. In this instance, the cabarets requesting relocation do not fit the criteria as they are currently at the Plaza of Nations, which is arguably a mini entertainment district, and not presently in a residential or other area of concern. However, as the north shore of False Creek is further developed, including the Plaza of Nations site itself, and providing the cabarets are still in operation, the encroachment of residential buildings will likely result in increased nuisance issues in the surrounding newly developed sites.
A final policy issue revolves around the initial policing strategy of a maximum of 200 seats per building site as a means of mitigating the impact on the street at closing time. This figure was developed based on the experience of Police Department officers. The proposals would exceed this guideline by two and a third times. It is possible that the potential problems could be reduced by staggering the closing times of the two cabarets. However, this may just create other problems within the cabaret or in the district. The earlier closing time could result in patrons "bar hopping" to other establishments before they close, and may cause an increase in nuisance complaints and issues such as street noise and altercations in the lineups.
Proposed Location
The site is located on the east side of Granville Street, directly across the rear lane from a large residential tower on Seymour Street. If the applications are approved, it is imperative that the building is designed to contain within the building the noise generated by garbage bins, keg and bottle storage. It should also be a requirement that any rear exits be used only in emergencies.
At the existing location, because of the close association of cabaret ownerships, it is common for patrons of Yuk Yuk's to be given access to The Rage at the conclusion of the comedyshow, provided there is space available. This is not typically a problem at the existing location because The Rage cabaret has a large building capacity. However, it would not be the case at the new location and it is unlikely the practice could continue, which may pose difficulties for the operators.
Benefits of Proposal
Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club entertainment theme would complement and expand the variety of entertainment in the Entertainment District. The applicant is also proposing a net reduction of 100 permanent seats, although these may be lost when the Plaza of Nations site is redeveloped.
The applicants are also proposing the construction of a new purpose-built building for the two cabarets. A new building would be a positive step in the redevelopment of the 900 block of Granville Street.
RESULTS OF NOTIFICATION
A neighbourhood notification was conducted on March 8, 2001 and approximately 865 notices were distributed. Only one letter in response was received, and although it raised concerns, it was neither for nor against the applications.
COMMENTS
The Police Department does not support the application.
The Planning Department notes the site is located within the Downtown (DD) Zoning District (Sub-area K1). A cabaret is listed as a "conditional" use in the DD Official Development Plan (DDODP). Any proposal to change the use of the ground floor to cabaret would require a development application.
Based on Council policy endorsed on January 30, 2001, and the need to closely monitor the impact of new establishments on the adjacent community, the Planning Department cannot support the proposal at this time to relocate either or both of these existing cabarets to Granville Street.
The Vancouver/Richmond Health Board advises that the main concern is noise. Directly east of the site on Seymour is a residential high-rise, the rear suites of which face 980 Granville. These suites will be directly impacted by the music level typically generated from the nature of activity of the cabaret. It is imperative that the structure of the proposed facility is acoustically designed and sound proofed to contain the music within the building.
The Social Planning Department and Housing Centre do not support the application based on Council policy and the need to evaluate the approved licenses in operation for a reasonable period of time.
CONCLUSION
Staff does not support this application at this time and feels that a proper assessment of the Entertainment District, once it is operating at the approved capacity, should be completed before additional licenses are considered. Staff acknowledges that some aspects of the proposal such as the comedy format and net reduction in seats are very appealing, but the timing is not conducive to approval at this time, and these seats may disappear anyway once the Plaza of Nations site is redeveloped.
ATTACHMENTS THAT DO NOT HAVE ELECTRONIC COPY ARE AVAILABLE ON FILE IN THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE
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