The city recently approved a special event that will be held
at Primetime on September 14th.
This event will be an outside event and host 4 bands from 2 PM to 10
PM. The city wishes them well with this
first time outside event at that location.
You might ask why the city would be involved in approving an
event that is held on the property of a licensed establishment. It would seem if they own the property they
should, as a business; do what they feel best for them. The answer really involves a few issues.
An outside musical event, by its very nature, means they
will have amplified sound. This business has neighbors who may be upset with
the noise. This is something out of the
ordinary that they haven’t previously experienced. Controlling the sound volume and the duration
is of interest to the city as it affects surrounding properties. The zoning ordinance does have limits in
terms of volume. If the volume exceeds a
certain level it can be declared a nuisance.
With any special event the goal for the sponsors is to
attach as many people as possible.
Bringing more people means the potential for public safety issues
increase. First on the list of more
people is parking. Having adequate
parking, where it doesn’t obstruct sight lines, lanes of traffic flow, or
access for emergency vehicles is all important.
Addressing these issues before the fact is needed. It becomes far too difficult to correct a
problem of access after vehicles have been parked. Emergency vehicles support emergency situations
which the public has come to expect.
Another issue that comes to play is that of a liquor license
itself. With the granting of a liquor
license the holder of the license is given the authority to sell and allow
consumption of alcoholic beverages within the establishment and areas
contiguous to it. If a license holder
wants to hold an event on property that is not contiguous to his establishment
he needs authority to expand the area for sale and consumption. In certain situations this can be done
administratively such as with a patio or deck adjacent to the building. However when the property in question is not immediately
contiguous it doesn’t meet the authority granted in the liquor license. Special authority is needed to use spaces outside of
the normal authority granted with the liquor license.
These situations and perhaps others are all reasons for
looking at special events in a different fashion. The city and the sponsor have the same goals
in terms of a successful event. The city
has perhaps other goals in terms of providing for the health, safety and
welfare of both residents and attendees.
The city has no intentions of being unreasonable but does have an
obligation to address these concerns.
With this in mind the city should exercise some control in trying to
mitigate those areas that spill over into the arena of public oversight.
