After months of incidents and enforcement issues, council revokes Karma Restaurant & Lounge’s late‑night use permit

Hampton City Council voted to revoke Karma Restaurant & Lounge’s Restaurant 3 use permit (use permit 25‑0489) after a lengthy public hearing during which city staff and the Hampton Police Department detailed a pattern of late‑night incidents, gaps in the business’s security compliance, and evidence handling problems that staff said undermined the permit’s conditions.

Staff case: Community Development and HPD presentations summarized the permit history, prior conditions and repeated enforcement contacts. HPD presented multiple incidents occurring during late hours over the previous year—including fights, an April parking‑lot shooting that resulted in a homicide, assaults and officer responses—and identified repeated failures to follow the written security plan: security staff did not patrol the parking lot, did not maintain required radio communications, at least one guard was found working without DCJS certification, and footage that could have aided investigations had been deleted from the business’s recording system. Staff also reported instances of alleged third‑party promoter activity contrary to permit terms and that the business’s State Corporation Commission registration had lapsed earlier in the year.

Owner response: Owner Courtney Ray and attorney Amina Matheny Willard disputed some factual points, provided documentation the SCC payment had been made recently, and asked the council to defer action to allow time to compile records, correct compliance gaps and present a mitigation plan. They highlighted past community contributions and hiring practices and introduced a newly retained security company. Dozens of supporters, including community organizations and business partners, urged council to allow the business to continue operating while it improved operations.

Council decision: After questioning, reviewing staff evidence and hearing rebuttals and public testimony both supporting the business and raising safety concerns, a councilmember moved to revoke the Restaurant 3 permit for failure to comply with use‑permit conditions. The motion carried on a roll call vote with all council members voting aye. Council discussed that revocation of the Restaurant 3 permit does not force closure of the physical restaurant; the owner could operate under a lower category permit (e.g., Restaurant 1 or 2) through a rapid zoning‑administrator application while addressing enforcement and compliance items. Staff noted that the business could seek to reapply for a Restaurant 3 permit in the future but would need to return to council for that legislative approval.

Next steps: Staff will process administrative steps related to revocation, advise the owner on expedited reclassification to a lower permit category if desired, and continue to monitor any outstanding public‑safety or legal compliance issues. HPD and community development staff said they will continue to coordinate on follow‑up enforcement and public‑safety monitoring.