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Westminster pauses on final event‑center rules, asks Chamber to convene stakeholders
Summary
After reviewing options to regulate event centers and live entertainment venues, council asked staff and the Westminster Chamber to gather operator and business feedback; staff recommended special‑use permits and stricter controls on large live entertainment venues in retail centers, with parking and noise studies required for approvals.
The Westminster City Council continued deliberations on regulating event centers and live entertainment venues on July 6, asking staff to coordinate stakeholder outreach and return with compiled feedback and draft ordinance language.
Background: A March moratorium on new event‑center permits led staff to draft code amendments to define and distinguish event centers, live entertainment venues and other assembly uses. Planning Manager John McGough presented alternatives for how special‑use permit (SUP) review could be handled: (1) Planning Commission recommendation with council final decision; (2) direct referral to council for decision; or (3) Planning Commission approval with the option to elevate deviations to council.
Staff recommendations and rationale: Staff recommended distinguishing higher‑impact “live entertainment venues” from smaller event centers, not allowing large live entertainment venues by right in existing retail centers, and relying on SUP criteria (parking, traffic and noise studies, mitigation measures) rather than hard numeric spacing or size caps. McGough and Director Lindsey Kimball warned that setting a single maximum size could create perverse incentives and argued studies and SUP review would allow mitigation tailored to each proposal.
Council reaction and next steps: Several councilors favored case‑by‑case council review for the largest or most impactful live entertainment venues so the full council could weigh neighborhood and business impacts. Others noted that many existing venues (including restaurants and churches) host occasional live entertainment as accessory uses, and staff clarified existing businesses would be grandfathered. Given the complexity and limited number of potential new venues, the council directed staff to work with the Westminster Chamber to host stakeholder sessions and compile operator input; staff will return a summary and proposed ordinance language for additional council consideration.
Why it matters: The regulations will determine where venues that host ticketed concerts, performances and large public gatherings may be sited in Westminster, how parking and noise impacts are analyzed and mitigated, and whether retail strips could host high‑intensity music venues in the future.
What the city will do next: Staff will share the presentation and alternatives with the Chamber, support stakeholder meetings, compile written comments and provide a follow‑up to council for further policy direction and ordinance drafting.
