Should there be one rule for waterfront licensed premises and another rule for similar businesses in the uptown area?
That was the question Scott Keddy, owner and president of uptown venues 3 Dogs Brewing and the Beer Shack asked White Rock council at its meeting meeting Monday (March 11).
In asking council consider an extension of patio operating hours, Keddy noted he was speaking not only for his businesses, but also for Galaxie Uptown, White Rock Beach Beer Co. the Bánh Mì Très Bon Vietnamese Restaurant and the soon-to-open Tacofino Mexican Restaurant.
“All these businesses operate outdoor patios in the summer, and all these patios are having to shut down at 9 p.m. as a requirement of their liquor licenses,” Keddy said.
“This requirement was imposed by the City of White Rock,” he added.
“We are asking to have the patio hour restrictions changed to reflect the patio hours that the businesses on West Beach and East Beach currently enjoy.”
Keddy noted that the patio hours for the waterfront businesses are the same as their operating hours – “well past 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. or later” – and that zoning for the East Beach, West Beach and the uptown area are “essentially” the same, for commercial/residential areas.
“Why is the uptown area being treated differently?” he asked, adding that businesses and the hospitality industry in particular are facing challenges in the post-COVID environment.
“We are still struggling to regain our pre-COVID numbers, while facing higher material, labour and lease costs.”
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Keddy also referenced White Rock’s Official Community Plan, which, he said, promotes the town centre/uptown area as “a distinctive, lively, pedestrian-focused growth area.”
“The fact is, though, that right now we are telling customers and visitors to White Rock in the uptown area to go home at 9 o’clock,” he said.”The message we are sending is to go somewhere else.”
Keddy added that businesses in the uptown area – historically a commercial area long before the addition of residential towers – are “well aware that we need to share the neighborhood now with the residents of the area.”
“Residents, too, must recognize that they reside in an urban commercial area, and if the goal, as described in the OCP, is to have a lively and vibrant place for residents and visitors, we can’t, literally, be rolling up the sidewalks at 9 p.m.”