75A - PH - ORDINANCE REGULATING ALCOHOL SALE

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Zoning Ordinance Amendment No. 2012-03 July 15, 2013 Page 5 Public Safety Committee Review During the July 18, 2013 meeting of the City Council Public Safety Committee, staff presented the draft ordinance for the Committee's review. The Committee recommended three revisions: • Entertainment pursuant to an entertainment permit may be permitted until 4 a.m. (See Section 11-1). • New bars (alcohol-serving establishments restricted to 21 and over) may be established, so long as they are not within 500 feet of a school for children, a park, or another bar. (See Section 41-191 b5 and e). • The requirement that restaurants that serve alcohol must also serve food was deleted. (See Section 41-196 g1 and g2). Though the staff recommendation remains unchanged, the revisions recommended by the Public Safety Committee have been integrated and highlighted in the draft ordinance. Analysis of Potential Public Safety Impacts The Committee requested that staff prepare an analysis of the potential impacts to public safety that could result from the recommended revisions, as well as provide information on the after-hours standards and practices of other cities having a comparable night-life setting. A chart comparing other cities' standards is included as an attachment to this report (Exhibit B). The Police Department has a long history with alcoholic beverage establishments that generate a relatively higher amount of police-related calls for service and require a greater number of police service hours than establishments that do not serve alcohol. Numerous studies have shown the correlation between alcohol and violence (Exhibit C). The Police Department's experience is that the hours and personnel devoted to calls at entertainment establishments with alcohol were much greater than to those establishments without (Exhibit D). The Committee's recommendation would allow for the establishment of bars (public premise licenses) throughout the City, as well as allow entertainment to be offered until 4 a.m. The greater ability to open and operate a bar, as well as allowing an extension of hours for entertainment will directly impact the Department's ability to provide adequate public safety service during a time of day where the department already has the fewest number of officers and resources available. For example, a gang-related disturbance at a dance establishment required 8 officers and a total of 10 staff-hours to clear. An assault or drunk arrest at a location with a dance permit may require 4 to 12 hours of police services. The time devoted to calls and number of personnel, from the Police Department's experience, is dictated by the events surrounding each incident. 75A-5