| Bars and nightclubs may soon face stricter guidelines and owners may be forced to consult with neighbouring residents before they open their doors, if a proposal from an inner-city alderman is approved by council.
City administration is drafting legislative changes in an attempt to curb problems dogging some city neighbourhoods, such as late-night noise, violence and traffic. If approved, they would implement a rash of new planning guidelines for nightclubs that could see business licences approved based on a bar’s size, characteristics and proximity to other nightclubs. The changes would also, for the first time, mark a planning distinction between bars and restaurants and even require new bar owners to consult neighbouring communities before opening.
Ald. Madeleine King proposed the changes, stating in the proposal that the "quality of life and economic opportunity for residents and business people are challenged by proximity to some drinking establishments."
Eileen Stan, the executive director of the Victoria Crossing Business Revitalization Zone, which includes the popular strip of nightclubs along First Street S.W., says she welcomes the initiative after spending years working with bar owners and trying to fix the problems.
"There certainly is a mix that isn’t working all that well for some of the residential neighbours," Stan says. "Certainly we welcome some tools out there that don’t currently exist. We do spend a lot of time trying to work these things out, but we need better tools."
However, Stan says she is also concerned that the new regulations will be too stifling and destroy the vibrancy that restaurants and bars can bring to a community. The trick, she says, is finding an appropriate balance in each community.
"It’s a complex issue," Stan says. "It happens in suburban neighbourhoods, downtown, all over the place. We need to find that balance."
Attempts to reach local bar owners and a spokesperson for the Alberta Restaurant and Food Services Association prior to press deadline were unsuccessful. |
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