Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Standing Committee on Planning and Environment

FROM:

Chief License Inspector

SUBJECT:

1180 (1176) Granville Street - Howard Johnson Hotel
Change in Hours of Operation in the Class ‘A’ Pub

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

On June 19, 1997 Council approved the following recommendations:

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 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.

PURPOSE

Westberg Investments Inc., is requesting a Council resolution endorsing their request for a change in the hours of operation to 12:00 noon until 2:00 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 midnight on Sunday in the Class ‘A’ Pub at the Lava Lounge in the Howard Johnson Hotel, 1180 Granville Street. The current hours are 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight on Sunday.

BACKGROUND

The applicants have requested the change in hours in the Lava Lounge to cater to clients who would prefer to end their evening in the pub rather than move to another establishment that has a later closing time. They also feel they are at a disadvantage when they try to compete with other establishments in the area, including the cabarets on Davie Street that have a later closing time. It is also more advantageous when trying to secure entertainers, who prefer to play in venues that remain open later.

The hours of operation for other pubs in the area are as follows:

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. “ ”
*Royal Hotel 1029 Granville 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 midnight “ ”
Dakota 1006 Granville 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. ” “

(*An application was recently received from the Royal Hotel, 1029 Granville Street requesting a change in hours to 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m. Monday to Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight on Sunday, and this is the subject of a separate report.)

The applicants also advise they are in the process of joining Bar Watch, and intend to become active participants in the program. They have a good working relationship with the local Community Police Office and have had no noise complaints from either residents of the area or guests of the hotel. The hotel hosts several functions where the proceeds support various gay community charities.

The Howard Johnson 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.

There are approximately five Class ‘A’ Pubs (1251 seats), four Class ‘A’ Lounges (432 seats) and seven Class ‘C’ Cabarets (1501 seats) within a 1,000 foot radius of the hotel.

DISCUSSION

Staff could only support this application if the applicant enters into a Housing Agreement to provide for low-income housing. The applicant runs a good operation that causes few problems in the community. Despite this, staff feels that given the location outside the transition zone of the Entertainment District in the area designated for future residential development, and Council policy requiring a public benefit for requests of this nature, the application cannot be endorsed. The attached map demonstrates the number of residential buildings in close proximity to the subject site.

The Howard Johnson Hotel lies one block south of the transition block of the Theatre Row/Granville Street Entertainment District. The transition block is 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 can be approved on the block in the future. Restaurant-Class 2 is required to close at midnight when holding a valid liquor license.

Staff feels that the applicant’s contention that their operation is disadvantaged relative to the cabarets on Davie Street is not a substantive argument. Staff agrees their operation likely loses a number of customers to the later closing cabarets prior to the hotel’s pub closing time. However, in essence, the hotel has 14 hours of service a day compared to seven hours of service (five on Sunday) for the cabarets. Staff and Council have often heard the reverse argument from various cabaret operators that it is they who are at a disadvantage compared to the licensed hotel establishments. As such, generally any benefit in the different operating hours of the two license types is probably negated.

The pub’s existing hours of operation are the same as the other hotels on Granville Street. Therefore any increase without some public benefit, such as a Housing Agreement, would likely result in other hotels also requesting a change in operating hours. Presently the one hour difference between the hotel bar and cabaret closing times helps to mitigate problems on the street between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. The staggered closing times eases the impact on the street by dispersing patrons from licensed establishments over a longer period of time.

The results of the mail-drop notification will be provided to Council at the Committee meeting.

COMMENTS

The Police Department does not support the request for a change in the hours of operation.

The Planning Department has reviewed the application and notes that the site is located within the Downtown District. Our records indicate that this building is currently approved as a hotel with a neighbourhood public house, restaurant and retail.

It should be noted Council will give favorable 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, in accordance with the Liquor Licensing Policies and Procedure adopted by City Council on October 16 and November 6, 1990.

The Vancouver/Richmond Health Board has no objection and there are no noise complaints on record.

The Social Planning Department does not support extending the closing time to 2:00 a.m.

The Housing Centre does not support extending the closing time. However, the 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 in lieu of Council support for the extension of hours. 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 this request cannot be supported as there is no clear public benefit. In addition, there are a number of cabarets in Downtown South that close at 2:00 a.m. and police resources are stretched to the limit at closing time.

NOTE FROM CLERK: Appendix A not available in electronic form - on file in the Office of the City Clerk.

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