Council tightens and loosens downtown entertainment rules — adds definition and raises limit to three venues per block face

Planning staff proposed amendments to Article 9 to clarify the definition of "place of entertainment," simplify proximity measurements and encourage downtown vitality by allowing more venues. The proposed change removes measurement across a public right‑of‑way (to avoid interpretive ambiguity) and increases the maximum number of places of entertainment in the Central Business District from two to three per block face.

The staff report explained that separation rules were originally intended to prevent a de facto entertainment‑only district but now conflict with the city's declared entertainment and social district goals. "We're recommending that that language just be deleted since it serves no practical purpose," a planning staffer said of ambiguous right‑of‑way language.

Council debated protections for churches, schools and organizations serving children; the mayor pro tem successfully moved an amendment to retain a 50‑foot separation for freestanding churches, schools and "school‑based programs" and also to add language that no place of entertainment may share an exterior wall with an adjacent church, school or school‑based program. After reopening the hearing to permit public comment on the amendment (none spoke), council adopted the ordinance as amended (5–0).

What's next: staff will return quickly with a clarified definition of "school‑based program" for insertion into the definitions section of the UDO.