Vancouver’s so-called Granville Strip could soon have a new look.
Vancouver city council approved a suite of reforms to its liquor bylaws Wednesday, one of which lifts a ban on patios for the popular entertainment district.
City staff are also recommending Vancouver scrap a proposed “Late Entry Program” that would have frozen entry to nightclubs at 2 a.m., after concerns it could hurt downtown businesses.
It has also voted scrapped a three-month liquor license probation period for establishments proven to be “good operators,” and will now require businesses to display the size and strength of all alcoholic beverages.
LISTEN: How to improve Vancouver’s nightlife
Better late night transit could also be on the menu, with staff recommending the city push for improved service to the area, particularly regarding weekend SkyTrain hours.
In a bid to increase safety in the Granville Entertainment District (GED), the city has also asked staff to look into funding for the Good Night Out program that runs a street team in the Granville Strip, and to look at increasing fines for fighting in public.
However the city isn’t moving forward with one eye-catching idea put forward by a working group spearheaded by downtown businesses and the city — at least for now.
That proposal, to install CCTV security cameras in the Granville Entertainment District (GED), attracted renewed public interest after Kalwinder Thind, a nightclub worker, was fatally stabbed while trying to break up a fight back in January.
WATCH: Vigil held for Granville nightclub employee killed in stabbing
However a memo from Deputy City Manager Paul Mochrie to council penned last week warned that by installing cameras, the city could run afoul of B.C.’s privacy legislation.
“Given the foregoing, as well as the unclear evidence of efficacy in the particular circumstances of the GED and cost implications, city staff do not recommend proceeding with the installation of CCTV in the GED at this time,” wrote Mochrie.
While they may not make an appearance soon, Non Partisan Association (NPA) councillor George Affleck said he’d still like to see the cameras installed.
“You know one of the issues I’ve been fighting hard for is to have CCTV on Granville,” he said.
“Until we get more transit down there we have a lot of problems late at night with people hanging around and not being able to get out. We have no Uber, we have very little transit,” he said.
Paul Stoilen, an operating partner with the Donnelly Group said he wants to see the city push harder for transportation offerings in the downtown core.
“I’ll bring up the word ‘Uber’ — everybody knows that situation right now,” he said.
“Lack of taxis, SkyTrain right now, I believe, shuts down at 1:30? Yet the bars are allowed to be open until 3 a.m., so we really want to push to have SkyTrain open, at least on Fridays and Saturdays until 3:30 a.m., to begin with,” he said.
WATCH: Vancouver councillor puts forward motion on Granville Street safety
Liquor in grocery stores
Also approved in Wednesday’s package of liquor reforms is the city’s road map to approve liquor sales in Vancouver grocery stores.
The city gave approval to the plan, which would operate according to the ‘store-within-a-store’ model — whereby liquor is physically separated from the grocery store and has its own cashier, last month.
Under the Wednesday’s bylaw changes, stores will have to restrict liquor advertising from the view of minors.
The bylaw also retains regulations about how close any two liquor stores can be from one another, and lays out design guidelines for grocery liquor stores.
WATCH: New liquor laws bring wine to grocery stores
New arts and culture liquor license
Art galleries and other cultural hubs could also soon be granted their own standing liquor licenses.
Such operations have traditionally had to apply for single-use special occasion licenses to serve alcohol in the past.
Under a new license class approved Wednesday, such businesses would be permitted to serve liquor during their regular opening hours, with a limit of 11 p.m.
The licence class applies to “art dealers and galleries and from community associations with arts and culture as their core mandate,” with other arts and culture business potentially to be considered in the future.
Comments