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Public officer affirms emergency order for nightclub at 2314 North Broadway
Summary
The City of Knoxville on July 31 affirmed an emergency order for 2314 North Broadway after KPD and KFD documented repeated illegal operation and violent incidents tied to the site; the owner’s representative said the lease specified a vape shop and that the landlord was unaware the tenant ran a nightclub.
Nicholas Bradshaw, the public officer designated by the mayor, on July 31 affirmed an emergency order declaring the structure at 2314 North Broadway unsafe and unfit for human occupancy after city inspectors, police and fire officials presented repeated code violations and safety incidents.
Captain Devin Long, East District commander for the Knoxville Police Department, told the hearing that officers received numerous complaints about an apparent nightclub operating at the address and reported violent incidents, including "an aggravated assault that was reported from the location on May 6 that supposedly happened inside the nightclub, and included a ice pick as a weapon." Peter Ahrens of plans review and building inspections said the current certificate of occupancy was for a Boost Mobile store with an occupant load of 11 but staff calculated an occupant load "to be, about a 150," requiring multiple means of egress, panic hardware and sprinklers the structure lacks. Fire department staff said they posted vacate notices multiple times and later observed the business open despite those postings.
G.I. Suleyman, who identified himself as the operations manager for the adjacent Boost Mobile, said the landlord had leased the building to a tenant for a vape shop and that the owner was not aware it had been operated as a nightclub: "We didn't know. It was a a nightclub until we got the 1st mail, in April," he said, and added that the landlord issued lease-violation notices and subsequently required the tenant to vacate. After hearing staff testimony and the owner's representative, Bradshaw said he affirmed the emergency order issued July 17 and ordered the structure vacated or repaired per the terms of that order.
The city law department distributed a packet of attachments, including staff reports, KPD and KFD timelines, and the order from Bradshaw; legal counsel noted distribution did not waive confidentiality where privileged information was involved. The public officer warned that if corrective action is not taken within the order time or any granted extension, the city may demolish the structure and place a lien for corrective-action costs against the property.
The hearing did not record a separate vote count; the affirmation was entered by the public officer as the official finding on the emergency order.
