Revelstoke city council discussed patios, chartered flights, an escape room business and a new Zamboni for the Forum during their July 10 meeting. (File photo)

Revelstoke city council discussed patios, chartered flights, an escape room business and a new Zamboni for the Forum during their July 10 meeting. (File photo)

Revelstoke City Council briefs: Patio approval, chartered flights, escape room and new Zamboni

Craft Bierhause front patio license endorsed

  • Jul. 12, 2018 12:00 a.m.

Craft Bierhause front patio license endorsed

Craft Bierhause is one step closer to opening their front patio after the July 10 council meeting.

Revelstoke city council carried a motion to endorse Craft Bierhause’s application for a Liquor Primary Structural Change to the provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Branch. The license will allow for Craft Bierhause to extend liquor service to the front patio.

Approval for construction of the patio through the city has already been received and approved by city staff.

During Tuesday’s meeting, director of development services Nigel Whitehead mentioned that two public comments had been received, with one consisting of worries regarding parking and sidewalk traffic, and the other consisting of similar parking concerns as well as concerns regarding “safety due to the transient nature of areas with high parking turnover.”

The topic brought about further discussion on patio policy, ultimately leading to direction for city staff to carry out a policy review due to growing concerns of city parking limitations.

RELATED: Revelstoke council directs patio policy review due to parking concerns

Craft Bierhause has included in their application a planned operation closing time of 11:00 p.m. for the patio, which is consistent with the city’s current noise bylaw.

Councillor Connie Brothers voiced concern of the size of the patio, though Whitehead responded that it will not take up the entire frontage of the location.

The new patio will have a maximum occupancy of 37 patrons, bringing the total occupancy at the establishment from 110 to 147. The existing patio at the rear of the building currently accommodates a maximum occupancy of 50 patrons, with the interior accommodating 60.

According to Whitehead, the city has been receiving approximately one patio application per year for a number of years.

Chartered Flights approval

Council has approved execution of their partnering agreement for chartered flights between Vancouver and Revelstoke for the 2019 season.

Public notice of the city’s intention to provide assistance to chartered flights, which will see the city contributing a maximum payment of $66,857 from the Economic Opportunity Funds, was previously discussed at the June 12 council meeting.

EOF funding is considered external to the city budget and was originally approved in 2001 to provide assistance for projects “deemed worthy of support which stimulate economic development in the impacted area.”

RELATED: Revelstoke Council continues support of chartered flights for 2019

2019 will be the third year the city has contributed to the four-way partnership with Revelstoke Mountain Resort Limited Partnership, Revelstoke Accommodation Association and Revelstoke Connection Ltd., better known as Everything Revelstoke.

26 flights will be offered from January 4 until March 18, 2019, with services taking place on Mondays and Fridays, as well as Sundays through February.

The motion to execute the agreement passed unanimously with no discussion during Tuesday’s meeting.

Escape Room

Council has approved a zoning amendment application as part of the process to bring an escape room business to the city.

The application, which seeks a site specific text amendment for the location to permit “amusement and recreation services” was approved by council during Tuesday’s meeting. Approval is required for development of the escape room as such use is currently not permitted within the multi-tenant commercial building located at 1605 Victoria Road.

Council approved city staff’s recommendation that the bylaw, which would add amusement and recreation services allowed at the property, be read a first and second time and a public hearing be scheduled for the development.

City staff was supportive of the development, calling the business a complementary use to existing businesses on the property.

The escape room, which would be the first of its kind in Revelstoke, has become popular in North America, Europe and East Asia in the 2010s.

Through a number of puzzles, riddles, hints and clues, participants attempt to complete objectives and escape from the room within a time limitation. These games are often set in fictional locations, such as prison cells, dungeons and space stations.

Director of economic development Nicole Fricot mentioned during Tuesday’s meeting that escape room businesses have been a large trend in other locations, with several businesses opening in Vancouver and Calgary over recent years.

In response to a question from Councillor Linda Nixon, director of development services Nigel Whitehead told council that the space will be inspected as part of the business licensing process, though no physical barriers exist within the room to create an emergency hazard.

Zamboni and utility truck purchase

Council has unanimously approved the purchase of a new ice resurfacer, better known as a Zamboni, as well as a new city utility truck.

The Zamboni will replace the current 2009 Zamboni Unit #84, which will be traded in to help cover the cost of the new unit. With the trade in and necessary attachments, the purchase price of the Zamboni is $94,385.72 plus taxes.

In addition to the resurfacer, a new city utility truck was approved at a total price of $113,002.00 plus taxes. The existing unit, a 2007 Ford F450 which the new truck will replace, will be sold at a minimum reserve bid of $15,000.00 to help cover the cost.

Both purchases were previously approved in the City of Revelstoke 2018-2022 Financial Plan.


@NathanKunz1nathan.kunz@revelstokereview.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Revelstoke Review

Most Read