ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: June 30, 2000
Author/Local: Guy Gusdal/6461
RTS No. 1388
CC File No. 2612-12

P&E: July 27, 2000

TO:	Standing Committee on Planning & Environment
FROM:	Chief License Inspector
SUBJECT:	1029 Granville Street - 6 K Investments Ltd. Royal Hotel (1025 Granville Street) Change in Hours of Operation in Class ‘A’ Pub

CONSIDERATION

A. THAT Council endorse the request by 6 K Investments Ltd., for a change in hours of operation to 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 midnight on Sunday in the Class ‘A’ Pub at the Royal Hotel, 1029 Granville Street, having considered the support of the majority of the residents and business operators of the community as determined by neighbourhood notification and subject to:

i) A Legal Agreement containing the following provisions:

a. The roll back of closing hours if problems result from the extended operating hours or if the operator fails to comply with any regulations and/or the intent of the regulations applicable to this business, and

b. holding the seating capacity to current numbers, regardless of any changes to the seating capacity regulations as a result of the provincial liquor license review.

ii) The signing of a Good Neighbour Agreement

OR

B. THAT Council advise the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch it does not support the application by 6 K Investments Ltd., for a change in hours of operation in the Class ‘A’ Pub at the Royal Hotel, 1029 Granville Street.

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services submits the choice of A or B for CONSIDERATION.

COUNCIL POLICY

On June 19, 1997, Council approved the following recommendations:

THAT the Director of Planning, in consultation with the Director of Legal Services, report back on amendments to the Downtown Official Development Plan to help establish the 1100 to 1300 blocks of Granville Street as a local shopping area for the surrounding residential community and to help establish the 1000 block of Granville Street as a transition area with some entertainment and some local shopping by:

1. deleting neighbourhood pubs and cabarets as permitted uses;

2. limiting the number of Class A (pub plus lounge) seats to a maximum of 125 endorsed for each new hotel;

3. deleting Class 2 restaurants (which require food be served with alcoholic beverages, and can provide live entertainment and dancing) as permitted use on the 1100 to 1300 blocks of Granville Street;

and

4. permitting Class 2 restaurants on the 1000 block of Granville Street.

Given the extensive public process for the Theatre Row/Granville Street Entertainment District, a policy of using the response to a neighbourhood notification as an alternative to a formal referendum was adopted.

Policy is also that Council give favourable consideration to endorsing applications for extensions of hours of operation or increased seating capacities in existinglicensed establishments throughout the City, subject to neighbourhood consultation and legal agreements that deal with neighbourhood impacts and secure the affordability and upgrading of low-income housing, or which provide other significant public benefits.

PURPOSE

6 K Investments Ltd., is requesting a Council resolution endorsing their request for a change in the hours of operation to 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 midnight on Sunday in the Class ‘A’ Pub at the Royal Hotel, 1025 Granville Street. The current hours are 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 midnight Monday to Saturday and 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 midnight on Sunday.

BACKGROUND

The Royal Hotel has 82 rooms which have all been refurbished. The applicant advises that feedback from the clientele indicates the present 12:00 midnight closing is a major detriment to their business as several other hotels in the neighbourhood are open until later. For example:

Yale 1300 Granville 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 a.m. (Sunday 12:00 midnight)
Cecil 1336 Granville 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. “ ”
*Howard Johnson 1176 Granville 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. “ ”
Dakota 1006 Granville 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. ” “

(*An application has recently been received from Stages Pub at the Howard Johnson Hotel requesting a change of hours to 12:00 noon until 2:00 a.m. and this will be the subject of a separate report.)

The Royal Hotel is located on the Granville Mall in the Downtown (DD) zoning district and is surrounded by hotel, lounge, pub, cabaret, restaurant, billiard hall, retail, office, social housing and residential uses. The nearest residences are located at the northeast corner of Helmcken and Howe Streets and the northwest corner of Seymour and Helmcken Streets, both of which are less than one block from the Royal Hotel.

There are approximately five Class ‘A’ Pubs (1251 seats), four Class ‘A’ Lounges (432 seats) and six Class ‘C’ Cabarets (2121 seats) within a 1,000 foot radius of the Royal Hotel.

DISCUSSION

The Royal Hotel lies within the transition block of the Granville Street/Theatre Row Entertainment District. The transition block is intended to act as a buffer between the Entertainment District and the emerging residential community of Granville South. It was planned that existing liquor licenses would be maintained at the status quo with the exception of changes in lieu of some public benefit, and that only Restaurant-Class 2 liquor licenses (closing at midnight) can be approved on the block in the future.

Even though the applicant runs a good operation that causes few problems in the community, there are concerns with the location in the transition zone of the Entertainment District and the Council policy requiring a public benefit for requests of this nature. As a result, staff feels the application should not be endorsed without a Housing Agreement.

Despite the above concerns, there are some reasons to support the request for a 1:00 a.m. closing. This premise is at the north end of the 1000 block, which is close to the Entertainment District. In addition, the 1:00 a.m. closing would match the other four hotels in the 1000 to 1300 block of Granville, which will minimize the bar hopping at closing time.

The results of the mail drop notification will be provided at the meeting.

Staff has discussed the public benefit requirement with the applicants’ agent. The applicants responded that they are not prepared to enter into a Housing Agreement as this would cause too great an impact on their tourist hotel business. They also stated that they would not be interested in obtaining a heritage designation for the building.

COMMENTS

The Police Department is not opposed. Positive feedback was received from field supervisors regarding the hotel’s operation.

The Planning Department has reviewed this application and notes that, in accordance with the Liquor Licensing Policies and Procedures adopted by City Council on October 16 and November 6, 1990, Council would give favourable consideration to endorsing applications for extensions of hours of operation or increased seating capacities in existing licensed establishments throughout the City, subject to neighbourhood consultation and legal agreements that deal with neighbourhood impacts and secure the affordability and upgrading of low-income housing, or which provide other significant public benefits.

The Vancouver/Richmond Health Board notes that the extended hours will result in a longer period of noise exposure to residents/hotels occupants on the floor above the dance area. However, there have been no complaints in the past and the applicant informed that he mainly receives clients who are utilizing the hotel’s entertainment facilities.

Approval is recommended on a time limited basis, with a future assessment of the results.

The Social Planning Department has no objection as long as the operating hours can be rolled back if problems occur.

The Housing Centre supports requiring some of the hotel rooms being rented on a monthly basis at the shelter component of welfare for some number of years. A Housing Agreement similar to the Siesta Rooms, 936 Granville Street and the Hildon Hotel 50 W Cordova should be negotiated. As the hotel was recently converted from residential, it should not compromise the tourist operation in the rest of the rooms.

CONCLUSION

Staff feels that even though the Royal Hotel is a well-run establishment, this request is contrary to current Council policy. This report does note that there are some reasons to support the request and, therefore, staff is putting this application forward for consideration.
NOTE FROM CLERK: Appendix A not available in electronic form - on file in the Office of the City Clerk.

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