Vancouver Liquor Licensing Commission Minutes

REPORT TO COUNCIL
VANCOUVER LIQUOR LICENSING COMMISSION
February 5, 1998
A regular meeting of the Vancouver Liquor Licensing Commission was held on Thursday, February 5, 1998, at 7:30 p.m., in Committee Room No. 1, Third Floor, City Hall.
PRESENT: Councillor Lynne Kennedy, Chair
Councillor Don Bellamy
Councillor Alan Herbert
Councillor Daniel Lee
ALSO PRESENT: Nathan Edelson, Central Area Planning
Inspector Dave Jones, i/c District 1, Police Department
Paul Teichroeb, Chief License Inspector

CLERK: Gil Mervyn
ADOPTION OF MINUTES
The minutes of the Vancouver Liquor Licensing Commission regular meeting held January 8, 1998, were adopted as circulated.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Motor Vessel "Black Tie" File: 2612-2
Class ‘A’ Lounge Liquor License
The Commission had before it an Administrative Report dated January 22, 1998, in which the Chief License Inspector recommended endorsement of a request by Rick Bradley for a Class ’A’ Lounge liquor license on board the M.V. Black Tie (on file).
The M.V. Black Tie is certified by Transport Canada to carry 100 passengers and five crew members. The Police Department has inspected the vessel and found all safety equipment in excellent condition and properly displayed.
cont’d
Clause No. 1 (cont’d)
Neighbourhood notification is not required for this type of application, as liquor is only served while the motor vessel is at sea, which will result in minimal neighbourhoodimpact.
Paul Teichroeb, Chief License Inspector, briefly reviewed the details of the Administrative Report, in addition noting the motor vessel had met all requirements of the Coast Guard and Marine Squad of the Police Department. In response to questions, Mr. Teichroeb advised the motor vessel was currently moored at Coal Harbour and sailed to primarily two destinations - Indian Arm and Point Atkinson. The City rarely receives noise complaints arising from the operation of licensed motor vessels.
The following motion by Councillor Bellamy was put and carried. Therefore, the Commission
RECOMMENDED
THAT Vancouver City Council endorse the request by Rick Bradley for a Class ‘A’ Lounge Liquor License on board the M.V. Black Tie, subject to Liquor Control and Licensing Branch circular number 552.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
2. 800 Granville Street - O’Kool’s Irish Pub Inc. File: 2615-5
Class ‘D’ Neighbourhood Pub Liquor License
The Commission had before it an Administrative Report dated January 19, 1998, in which the Chief License Inspector recommended endorsement of a request by O’Kools Irish Pub Inc. (formerly the Theatre Row Management Company) for a Class ‘D’ Neighbourhood Pub with 65-seats plus a 20-seat patio, at 800 Granville Street (on file). The applicant proposes to develop the ground floor of this existing building, providing an entrance off of Granville Street. Full food service will be provided and there will be limited live entertainment on an occasional basis. The proposed hours of operation are 12:00 noon to 12 midnight, Sunday to Thursday and 12 noon to 1:00 am, Friday and Saturday.
cont’d
Clause No. 2 (cont’d)
City Council previously considered and supported this application in principle, on December 11, 1997, subject to neighbourhood notification, a time-limited development permit, no exotic entertainment, no off-site liquor sales, patio closing at 11:00 pm and the
signing of a "good neighbour agreement" with the City.
The neighbourhood notification process resulted in two letters opposing the application (on file).
Paul Teichroeb, Chief License Inspector, reviewed the details of the Administrative Report and confirmed the applicants had submitted the required documentation and revised plans to provide greater prominence to the Granville Street entrance.
During discussion, Mr. Teichroeb advised the issuance of new business licenses by the City for liquor licensed premises will be subject to the signing of a "Good Neighbour Agreement" with the City.
The following motion by Councillor Bellamy was put and carried. Therefore, the Commission
RECOMMENDED
THAT Vancouver City Council endorse the request from O'Kool's Irish Pub Inc. (formerly Theatre Row Management Company) for 65 indoor and 20 patio Class 'D' Neighbourhood Pub seats at 800 Granville Street, having considered that the majority of area residents are in favour of this application. The Commission also considered the proximity of other social facility and public buildings, traffic impacts and the availability of parking, possible noise impacts on existing and future residential, the appearance and overall design of the building and compliance with the plan for the area which has been designated as the Theatre Row Entertainment District;
FURTHER THAT this proposal is subject to the following conditions:
i. no off-site sales be permitted
ii. exotic dancing or other similar forms of entertainment not be permitted
cont’d
Clause No. 2 (cont’d)
iii. the patio is subject to 11:00 p.m. closing
iv.the development permit for this use be restricted to a renewable four-month time limit
v.before the issuance of the business license the applicant sign a "goodneighbour" agreement with the City.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
INFORMATION
3. B.C. Cabaret Owners’ Association File: 2611
During its meeting held January 28, 1998, the Commission requested arrangements be made for it to meet regularly with representatives of associations which represent the various classes of licensed premises operating in the city. Accordingly, Roger Gibson, representing the B.C. Cabaret Owners’ Association, was in attendance to present and discuss issues of concern to his association.
During his presentation Mr. Gibson noted the following:
·The customer base for cabarets operating in the Downtown is diminishing, due to the
proliferation of other licensed premises, both in the Downtown and other areas of the city and surrounding municipalities, as well as changing social norms;
·Older hotels in the Downtown are converting their licensed premise operations to bar/ cabaret formats, resulting in greater competition to the Cabarets (an estimated 1300 seats have been converted in this way in the past four years);
·The hours of operation for Cabarets continue to be restricted, thereby limiting their ability to compete with other licensed premises; the current hours (7:00 pm to 2:00 am) do not permit opening for the dinner period;
·It has become increasingly expensive to maintain "live entertainment" in the Cabarets; high profile acts are difficult to arrange;
·Many restaurants now provide entertainment and operate illegally as bars; there is insufficient enforcement to control this activity;
·The approval of additional licensed seats on Granvillle Street will result in an over supply of seats and increased competition. This situation will likely lead to "drink specials", excessive drinking and related problems.
Mr. Gibson put forward the following recommendations to address the forgoing concerns:
·Amend the hours of operation to permit earlier openings and the holding of special events (seven days per week) and later closing on Sundays;
·Allow an additional one half hour for the clearing of patrons following the close of liquor service;
·Control the approval rate of new licenses on the new Theatre Row Entertainment District;
·Ensure greater enforcement of the regulations which govern the operation of other licensed premises which currently operate illegally.
During discussion, Mr. Teichroeb advised City staff had previously addressed the issue of the hours permitted for the operation of Cabarets with the Provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Branch. Staff support an earlier opening time, under certain conditions, and an extended period for the clearing of patrons after the close of liquor service. Mr. Teichroeb confirmed the relocation of existing Cabarets to the Theatre Row is a major issue and that Council policy is to restrict the number of new licenses issued. He anticipates some existing operations will likely move to the new Theatre Row Entertainment District.
In response to questions from members of the Commission, Mr. Gibson expressed the view that limiting the size of Cabarets to 130 seats, as currently provided by City policy for the new Theatre Row Entertainment District, would not be viable, unless the operation provides a unique concept to attract regular patrons. Mr. Gibson also confirmed the proposed extension of hours for Cabarets and the enforcement of the regulations for the operation of other licensed premises (as outlined above) would significantly improve the viability of the current Cabaret industry in the city.
In response to further questioning, Mr. Gibson advised the format of a successful Cabaret for today’s market would likely be designed on a specific theme (e.g. Sports Bar or Irish Pub), provide seating for 250 to 300 patrons, be located at street level and be well appointed, with attractive decorations and comfortable seating. The operation should also be flexible in order to accommodate special events such as parties and conventions.
The Chair thanked Mr. Gibson for his presentation and discussion with the Commission.
RECOMMENDATION
4. Northern Conference for Best Practices and Policies in
Alcohol Management and Oversight File: 2611
Councillor Kennedy provided a verbal report regarding the conference she attended, (accompanied by staff members, Paul Teichroeb, Chief License Inspector, Inspector DaveJones, and Michael Gordon, Planner), in Portland, Oregon, on December 4, 1997. The Northwest Conference for Best Practices & Policies in Alcohol Management and Oversight was sponsored by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the Washington State Liquor Control Board, King County Executive, Ron Sims and the Chronic Public Inebriate Systems Solutions Committee. Other cities invited to attend were Seattle, Tacoma, Portland and New Westminster.
The conference objectives were to:
·Identify best policies and practises for promoting effective comprehensive alcohol management strategies;
·Establish roles and linkages required in collaborative partnerships between
neighbourhoods, business, licensees, government and regulatory entities;
·Clarify the operational elements and mechanisms for successful implementation of comprehensive strategies;
·Initiate the development of a regional (international) network for continued information sharing and collaborative work in areas of mutual interest.
Councillor Kennedy and the staff advised attendance at the Conference had been very worthwhile, as the sharing of ideas and experiences was very useful. The City’s participation identified useful tools, such as the "Good Neighbour Agreements", which have since been revised and adopted for use in the City.
It is proposed to continue the dialogue initiated at this conference in Vancouver in the early spring. The event is in the preliminary planning stages and details, including the City’s participation and financial obligation (if any), will reported to Council in March, 1998.
While recognizing the value of attending the conference in Portland, and proposed continuation of the dialogue in Vancouver later this spring, some members expressed concern that Council as a whole had not been advised of the proposed event and that, to date, the dialogue had not included representatives of the Provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCLB). In response, Judy Rogers, Deputy City Manager, assured members the matter would be reported to Council and that representatives of the LCLB will be invited to participate.

The following motion by Councillor Bellamy was put and carried. Therefore the Commission
RECOMMENDED
THAT Vancouver City Council endorse the continuation of discussions initiated by the Northwest Conference for Best Practices and Policies in Alcohol Management and Oversight, held in Portland Oregon, December 4, 1997.
- CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
The Commission also agreed to conduct a special "In Camera" session for members to review the Mandate of the Vancouver Liquor Licensing Commission, including the role of the Chair, other appointed members and staff.
The Commission adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
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