NEWS: Condos and clubs clash (Toronto Star)
here's hoping that we can someday abolish last-call and be like 90% of the rest of the world..
btw. the Homeless shelter located on the corner of the former Fez Batik was also approved last Friday for those interested..
here was the discussion thread about it on TA:
http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...light=fez+batik
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Clubgoers wait outside Metro on Richmond St. in the Entertainment District. The mixed-use zone has residential and commercial areas
Condos and clubs clash
With more condos and plans for a shelter, the Entertainment District is getting crowded
May 28, 2007
Raju Mudhar
Entertainment Reporter
Three young men at the corner of Richmond and John Sts. hang off each other and loudly accost passersby. "Hey buddy, you know where Grace O'Malley's is?"
This is typical at 11 p.m. on a Friday in the Entertainment District. Young people from all over Greater Toronto regularly descend on this area of bars, clubs and restaurants, which stretches from Queen St. W. to Front St. W., and from Simcoe St. west almost to Bathurst St. On every corner, promoters hand out flyers outside bars or offer free admission to entice clubbers.
At 11 p.m., the options are plentiful. But after 2 a.m., when people pour out of the clubs, there exists a dangerous mix of drunkenness with nowhere to go.
That's when alcohol-fuelled violence, destruction to property and what the area's city councillor calls "hooliganism" takes over. There have been two non-fatal stabbings in the past month, but police, who number between 30 to 80 officers every weekend, don't want to publicize the number of incidents.
Complaints, however, have risen as more condo dwellers move in, making clubland as much a place to live as play.
In fact, it is going to become a home to the homeless with city council's approval last Friday of turning the former Fez Batik club on Peter St. into a shelter. The issue, which was initially raised as a proposal last March, actually united warring residents and club owners. Both sides were careful to avoid a not-in-my-backyard mentality and focused their concerns on the safety of the homeless, arguing that placing them in a neighbourhood rife with noise and temptation only added another tension to an already challenged area.
However, the issue further politicized the stakeholders, and following some tough talk from rookie councillor Adam Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) – who suggested venues get permits for lineups – some club owners believe this is the start of a "war on clubs" and an effort to force them out.
Amid all this, one fact is often lost: in the 1980s, this area was referred to as a dead zone and in less than 20 years it has been completely revitalized. In a way, development has worked too well, creating a day and night neighbourhood that is the equivalent of a Jekyll/Hyde transformation. In the '80s, the area was filled with warehouses and former factories from a waning industrial boom. With the arrival of the SkyDome, the city thought it would be a good time to help spur development and, by altering the zoning, tried to create an area where entertainment facilities like restaurants and clubs were allowed to operate with little to no restrictions.
Club owner Charles Khabouth was one of the first to move in, opening Stilife nightclub at Richmond and Duncan Sts. in 1987.
"I liked it because it was central, in the heart of the city, but it wasn't on a major street or on a major corner. After 6 o'clock, the entire area was deserted. The first three or four months people used to park for free. After I signed the lease, I took my stepfather down there to show him and he thought I was insane. I still remember his exact words, `There is not even a cat on the street.'"
Where Khabouth led, others followed, and the club boom was on. But in the mid-'90s, to help stabilize the neighbourhood, the city decided to add residential to the mixed-use zoning.
"When you look at the King-Spadina area, I think that's been one of the most incredibly successful examples of urban regeneration," says Robert Glover, now in the private sector but who worked for the city for 20 years. He was city chief of urban design planning at the time and helped author the 1996 King-Spadina official plan.
"And the thing about it is that you think of it as an urban neighbourhood and, through purely incremental private sector development, you've had a very large neighbourhood redevelop in about 10 years' time."
While the urban design report called for more mixed-use zoning by adding residential uses, it warned that it would be necessary to monitor the relationship between residents and those attracted to entertainment facilities. But a decade ago, few could see the explosive growth that the neighbourhood is now trying to cope with.
The city's condo boom has flourished in the club district. The King Spadina Residents Association aims to speak for the estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people living in the area.
Started in 2004, the neighbourhood association is a model of community activism and, in a short time, has had results. Initially created because of noise complaints due to club sound systems, the group is now firmly entrenched and is at least partly responsible for bylaw changes, such as a new business designation for nightclubs in 2006 that includes more stringent security and noise requirements.
It also keeps tabs on the 88 nightclubs in the area, as well as neighbourhood controversies, of which there seem to be no end. Recent ones include the installation of security cameras and legislation requiring bouncers and security personnel to undergo training. In the works are ideas to levy new taxes on clubs, and restrictions on liquor licences and the amount of clubs in operation.
At the heart of these conflicts is the huge amount of people who flock to the area and the problems they cause for residents. Here then, are views from key players, and some possible solutions.
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source:
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/218303
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Patrons of the Entertainment District's 88 clubs are at the centre of a battle between politicians and club owners.
Seeking solutions
May 28, 2007 04:30 AM
The Entertainment District doesn't have to be a war zone. Here are some solutions that could go a long way to making peace among club owners, clubgoers and residents:
The No. 1 cited problem is the sheer number of people leaving establishments after last call at 2 a.m. While it might seem like a counterintuitive idea, one suggestion is to make last call later. The city already allows 4 a.m. drinking permits for special events and with a later time, the hope is that patrons may lose steam and leave at staggered intervals, possibly easing the burden on authorities.
City planners and designers say lighting and streetscaping need to be improved: better lit alleys and wider sidewalks are at the top of the list.
Another problem is people urinating on residential property. While public washrooms won't completely cure this problem, it is somewhat ridiculous that there are no such facilities in the area.
More cameras. There are currently eight in the Entertainment District and most club owners are glad to have them. It may smack of Big Brother, but the cameras may serve as a deterrent.
Police and authorities believe liquor licence infractions do not have enough teeth and need to be beefed up. One suggestion is a three-strike system with increasing severity, or authorities should have more controls on deciding when a place will be punished.
Raju Mudhar
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source:
http://www.thestar.com/Article/218313
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