SUPPORTS ITEM NO. 1
VLLC AGENDA
JULY 25, 1996
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: July 9, 1996
Dept. File. 2192IC
TO: Vancouver Liquor Licensing Commission
FROM: Deputy Chief License Inspector
SUBJECT: 555 Seymour Street - B.C. Institute of Technology
'A' Lounge
CONSIDERATION
A. THAT the Vancouver Liquor Licensing Commission endorse the
request by the British Columbia Institute of Technology for
a Class 'A' Lounge at 555 Seymour Street, having considered
community opinion determined as a result of neighbourhood
notification.
OR
B. THAT the Vancouver Liquor Licensing Commission advise the
Liquor Control & Licensing Branch it does not endorse the
request by the British Columbia Institute of Technology for
an 'A' Lounge at 555 Seymour Street.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services submits the choice of A
or B for CONSIDERATION.
COUNCIL POLICY
Council policy requires that new liquor license applications be
subject to a referendum prior to receiving final consideration if the
premises are located in close proximity to residential accommodation.
PURPOSE
The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) is requesting a
City Council resolution endorsing its application for a 225 seat Class
'A' Lounge in the new downtown campus at 555 Seymour Street.
BACKGROUND
The new BCIT facility is being built on the corner of Seymour and
Dunsmuir Streets, and the Class 'A' Lounge will cater to clients
attending BCIT for educational purposes as well as provide
refreshments for the small conference centre.
The hours of operation will be:
Monday to Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 12 midnight
The premises are located in the DD (Downtown) zoning district. The
surrounding area is a mixture of retail, office and restaurant uses
(Appendix A).
There are four Class 'A' Pubs (826 seats), eight Class 'A' Lounges
(975 seats), three Class 'C' Cabarets (599 seats) and approximately 30
licensed restaurants.
COMMENTS
The Police Department has no specific concerns regarding this
application.
The Environmental Health Division of the Vancouver Health Board has no
objection, on the condition that there is no outdoor seating.
The Planning Department advises that the approved plans, which
permitted the construction of this building, do not indicate a
specific area for a cafeteria and/or lounge, although these uses are
customarily ancillary to this type of institutional use.
Provided the lounge area is located above the ground floor and within
the area of the building designated for school use, the Planning
Department has no additional comments on this proposal. It should be
noted that an application for a Minor Amendment to Development Permit
DE216989 would be required, clearly indicating where the proposed
lounge would be located in the school.
The Housing Centre does not oppose this application because the lounge
would be operated in conjunction with BCIT's meeting facilities, and
would be unlikely to have any impact on neighbouring residents.
The Social Planning Department is supportive of this application as
long as the potential late hours of operation have no impact in an
area with residential dwellings nearby.
CONCLUSION
Staff support this application, noting its primary function is to
provide refreshments for campus related activities and some social
amenities for the conference centre. Approval should be contingent on
the response to the neighbourhood notification. A referendum is not
recommended, even though there are several SRO's nearby, as two of the
three closest contain licensed facilities themselves. In addition,
because of the nature of the operation, the facility will unlikely
impact on neighbouring residents.
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