To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Vincent Smith, Community Development Director
Prepared By: Michael Allen, Senior Planner
TITLE:
Title
Ace & Vine Card Room Annual Review
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Conduct the annual review of Ace & Vine (Polvora) Card Room’s operations located at 505 Lincoln Avenue.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The City Council included a condition in the Use Permit (R2020-088) for the Ace & Vine Card Room (formerly Polvora Card Room) requiring an annual review of its operation for the first three years. The first review was conducted at the August 17, 2021 City Council meeting during the Council’s review of Ace & Vine’s application requesting approval of 24-hour operations. Due to staffing shortages in the Planning Division last summer, the second annual review was not completed. Therefore, this report represents the second annual review within the first 2 ½ years of operation.
PROJECT CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND
The project site is a 1.76-acre property on the south side of Lincoln Avenue at 505 Lincoln Avenue. The property is improved with two existing buildings, a principal building of 6,283 square feet and an accessory building of 624 square feet for a total square footage of 6,595 square feet. A total of 130 parking spaces are located at the site. The site features landscape improvements at the site’s Lincoln Avenue frontage and within the parking lot. Surrounding land uses include Lincoln Avenue to the north, the Napa River to the east, Silverado Towing Company to the south, and Wall Street to the west, with North Bay Plywood on the opposite side of Wall Street.
PROJECT HISTORY
In June, 2020, the City Council adopted an ordinance amending the Napa Municipal Code to authorize a card room as a conditionally permitted use in the Community Commercial District, to allow an increase to the number of card tables from five to nine, an increase in the number of patrons per table from 10 to 15 and to allow alcohol to be consumed in the card room. The Council also adopted a resolution approving a Use Permit to operate a card room at 505 Lincoln Avenue for the Ace & Vine Card Room (Polvora Card Room).
At the recommendation of the Planning Commission, the Council also included a condition requiring the Applicant to make an annual presentation to the Council following the first three years of operation to demonstrate compliance with the Use Permit (Condition No. 2 of Resolution R2020-088; ATTACHMENT 2). Although approved in June of 2020, the card room didn’t open its doors to the public until February 11, 2021. It had been operating for only 6 months when the Applicant submitted an application requesting an expansion of their operating hours to 24-hour operations. Although the card room had only been operating for less than a year, Staff included the first annual review with the 24-hour operation request which was approved by Council in June 2021 (R2021-085; ATTACHMENT 3). Staff sought information from the Police Department (PD) regarding any calls to service generated by the card room during its first six months of operation. According to PD Staff, their records showed a relatively low number of calls for service. As of the time of the meeting with PD staff in June of 2021, there had been 5 calls for service for various issues. The number and type of calls were characterized as no different than typical service calls for any Downtown business that provides an entertainment venue where alcohol is served.
ANNUAL REVIEW
In preparation for the card room’s annual review, Staff once again sought information from the Police Department regarding any calls for service generated by the card room for the entire 2 ½ years of their operation. According to PD Staff, their records showed a relatively low number of calls for service. The Planning Division has never received any Code Enforcement complaints related to the card room.
The number and type of calls were characterized as no different than typical service calls for any Downtown business that provides an entertainment venue where alcohol is served and is open during the evening. Of the calls attributed to the card room, several may not have been directly related to the business, but the reported activities occurred in the vicinity of the card room. In fact, PD Staff indicated that they do not have concerns with the card room’s operation, and they do not believe the business is a cause of negative impacts to the community.
Since the card room has been in operation for 2 ½ years and this report provides data covering their operation since its opening, and PD’s records indicate the card room has continued to generate no more calls for service than any other business providing late night entertainment, it is recommended that this be the last review.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
CEQA:
The Community Development Director has determined that the Recommended Action described in this agenda report is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Police Department call log related to Ace and Vine - 2021 - 2023
ATCH 2 - Resolution R2020-088; Polvora Card Room Use Permit
ATCH 3 - Resolution R2021-085; Ace & Vine 24 Hour Operation
NOTIFICATION:
None