NORFOLK, Va. — There is a new rule in place for new restaurant owners in the City of Norfolk.
If they want to serve alcohol to customers, they’re going to need a CUP, or conditional use permit. Norfolk City Council signed off on the new city-wide plan last night.
Matheau Hall, the owner of "Thank You, Thank You Bar & Lounge" on Colley Avenue, pointed out that the CUP process can be difficult for business owners.
“I think you can go purchase a gun faster than you can get a CUP,” Hall said. “You go to the planning commission, they give you a date, you have to go in front of council, and council has to approve it. But you don’t know when your date could be.”
According to a city brochure, the CUP process can take two to three months and cost more than $1,000.
“It’s pretty much lipstick on a pig. If we can clarify what a true nightclub is – the definition – what a restaurant, a bar – once those things are clarified and what you need for each, that will then determine the steps to go forward as far as zoning and what the commission wants to do,” Hall said. “There’s still more questions that need to be answered and there’s still a lot of gray areas as far as what the CUPs separate."
Charles Rasputin, the owner of "Slowdive" gallery on the edge of Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood, agrees.
“For a long time, I’ve been an advocate of reducing or completely doing away with the conditional use permit process," he said. "It’s unevenly enforced, and I think it harms small businesses. However, what they did last night was simply a return to a policy of a few years ago.”
Rasputin said city leaders compromised and he’s glad they got rid of a two-year limit on some CUPs.
“I feel like they heard the population, heard the city blowback and responded to it in a very positive way," he said.
Rasputin said applying for a new permit slowed down business.
“Currently, I’m not operating in full capacity. I had to lay off staff, and I’ve lost thousands of dollars because they build a sunset clause of two years into my business’ CUP," Rasputin said. "So, I was happy to see them take that away so that no other small business will have to suffer that again.”
He said the limit was also "unfairly" applied by the city.
“Specifically to some of the Black-owned businesses in the Neon District and to a few others that tend to serve Black-centered populations," Rasputin said. "To me, it reflected an uneven enforcement and uneven oversight that seems to be a trend in this conditional use process.”
This new plan comes amid heightened concerns over safety in Norfolk and follows a spate of shootings downtown.
“There’s shootings everywhere. And if we’re pinpointing shootings to nightlife or to music or to entertainment, then you might as well shut down everything,” Hall said.
City Council voted 7 to 1 to approve this new change.