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Downtown business owners urge council to suspend entertainment district amid late-summer decline and loitering complaints
Summary
Downtown business owners told council that loitering and lack of enforcement around the entertainment district are driving customers away; owners reported sales declines and urged council to repeal or suspend the district while the city improves enforcement.
Multiple downtown business owners and operators urged the council to act on enforcement and the planned entertainment-district ordinance after describing a pattern of loitering, drug use and disorder they said is harming customer traffic.
Judd Blunt, who identified himself as a downtown investor and operator of several restaurants, said his downtown restaurant experienced a 13% decline and that events had been canceled because of safety and loitering concerns. "Every business I've talked to wants this gone," he said, and asked the council to “consider getting rid of the entertainment district.”
Business speakers described groups “sitting on the corner” smoking and loitering and said visitors and customers were deterred. Council members and staff said the entertainment-district ordinance had been passed but that enforcement was uneven, and they described plans for immediate engagement with downtown business leaders on changes and enforcement. One councilmember said the ordinance is on hold for 120 days while the city works through concerns raised by businesses.
Councilmember Miss Johnson said the city had begun a fast-tracked collaborative initiative with downtown business owners to update the entertainment-district rules and enforcement, and said she would introduce details at the upcoming council meeting. Other council members said they intend to prioritize enforcement of existing rules (for example, container type and not allowing to-go drinks to be carried while loitering) and to discuss whether suspension or repeal is appropriate.
No repeal or suspension vote occurred in the work session; councilmembers and downtown stakeholders said they would hold additional meetings and listening sessions before formal action.
