Orlando City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Monday that limits the location of new downtown nightclubs.
Establishments must be at least 300 feet apart from each other, or roughly the equivalent of one city block.
Although established venues are grandfathered in, they face added restrictions. A nightclub cannot expand its premises if it currently violates the distance requirement. If a club were to stay closed for more than a sanctioned six months, it has to either stay closed or ask city council for additional time to reopen.
The ordinance was taken up by the council last month for a first reading, and saw a 6-1 vote in favor of its passing. The sole opposing vote, District 2 commissioner Tony Ortiz, switched his say at Monday’s meeting.
The guideline changes stem from the city’s desire to pivot toward a more family oriented, business diverse downtown.
With 48 nightclubs within a 12-block span, interim city commissioner Shan Rose clarified that the ordinance was meant to bolster the rest of downtown’s entertainment area.
“We are saying nightclubs are welcome, but what we’re asking is individuals who are trying to open nightclubs downtown consider the other 48 blocks that are in downtown,” Rose said.
A lone public commenter spoke in favor of the rule at Monday’s vote, but those involved in downtown’s businesses are generally mixed on the matter. Last month’s city council meeting drew a couple of public commenters who shared opposing views on the ordinance’s benefit.
Margaret Casscells-Hamby, owner of the Beacham property, previously shared her concerns with the ordinance in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel. Before yesterday’s council meeting, she told Central Florida Public Media that city council misunderstood the appeal of downtown Orlando.
“The people who are trying to – who are wishing this – to happen don’t understand the market. Because the people who come downtown love having fun,” she said. “They’re in their 20s, they’re in their 30s. They come from all walks of life.”
Casscells-Hamby and her husband have owned the property since 1990. Her history in the area leads to an uninspired view on the ordinance.
“I just don’t think it’s practical,” Casscells-Hamby said.
The restrictions will begin Sept. 21 and replace an existing moratorium on nightclubs downtown.
