The Richmond City Planning Commission voted Oct. 7 to forward to City Council a recommendation to grant a conditional use permit that would allow extended late-night hours at Poppy’s, 1407 East Cary Street, but amended the paperwork to limit how the permit will be activated and reviewed.

Madison Wilson, planning staff, presented the application and noted the property is zoned B-5 (Central Business District) and lies in a destination mixed-use area the Richmond 300 plan envisions as an 18-hour district. Staff recommended approval but asked that the commission add a provision limiting the permit’s validity to one year as a probationary measure; staff said the limit could be removed if the operator had no violations.

Applicant Adrienne Ladogno told the commission the venue provides space for Richmond’s LGBTQ+ community and said the requested late hours—midnight to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday—are important because many patrons do not arrive until late. “This venue is intentionally LGBTQIA plus in programming and identity,” she said, and described Poppy’s as a small, community-focused space for drag shows, mutual-aid drives, youth programming and other events.

Public testimony was extensive. More than two dozen supporters—performers, patrons and community organizers—described Poppy’s as a rare and welcoming queer space and stressed safety and community benefits. Keisha Shelton told the commission Poppy’s “has never been that kind of place,” and others said they had never observed violence or disorder at the venue.

Opponents, led by Mark Shuford, an attorney representing the Shaco Partnership, urged caution. Shuford told the commission that the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) board had revoked Poppy’s mixed beverage license following an administrative proceeding and that, as a result, the venue will not be eligible to reapply for an ABC license until July 2026. He said the city’s nightclub definition requires serving alcohol between midnight and 6 a.m., so without an ABC license the applicant could not operate as a nightclub now.

Commissioners and staff discussed how zoning and ABC licensing interact. Planning staff and the city attorney’s office advised the commission that a CUP is a land-use approval and can be granted in advance of a separate ABC or building permitting process; however, a CUP does not substitute for the state liquor license or the building official’s certificate of occupancy needed to operate as a nightclub.

During debate commissioners amended the staff-recommended timeline. The commission replaced a longer deadline in the draft ordinance with a requirement that the applicant apply for a certificate of occupancy within 365 days of council adoption, and that the CUP—once activated by issuance of the CO—be valid for 18 months (the motion as amended was carried). Planning staff said they would draft ordinance language to capture the intent for council. The commission’s roll-call vote on the amended recommendation was recorded as all present voting aye; Chair Poole recused himself from the matter.

The commission’s action forwards the amended CUP recommendation to City Council, which will make the final decision and consider any ordinance language changes before adoption.