NORFOLK, Va. — Next week, Norfolk City Council will try to make the area safer by possibly making changes for businesses.
This comes after shootings and other problems downtown. So far this year, at least 15 people have been shot in the downtown area alone.
"Safety is the primary consideration for all of this," said Preston Carraway, vice president of the Downtown Norfolk Civic League.
During Tuesday night's meeting, the planning commission is asking council to change certain zoning regulations for nightclubs and restaurants. Those changes would include requiring a conditional use permit for any restaurant in the city to sell alcohol for people to drink inside their business.
It would also establish a standard two-year time limit on nightclub or live entertainment conditional use permits unless a longer period is approved by city council.
Finally, the changes would modify the definition of “entertainment” to specifically include what does and does not count as entertainment.
Carraway said he's pleased with that part in particular.
"I’ve been told that there are some folks who are kind of skirting… who aren’t supposed to have live entertainment, but they’ve kind of skirted around that by doing something just on the edge, but not really meeting the spirit of the request," Carraway said.
Down the street in the Neon District, Charles Rasputin disagrees.
"I fear that this broadening of this definition is going to be detrimental, not only to small businesses like mine, but anyone with a creative business concept," he said.
Rasputin owns The Slow Dive Art Gallery and he doesn’t think these changes are moving in the right direction.
"It's about security, it's about overserving, it's about building a culture of community in a nightlife space instead of building a culture of just turning up and getting crazy," he said.
He said he wishes the city would communicate more with the businesses these changes will affect.
"What we need is something beyond reactionary," Rasputin said. "They’re very reactionary. There’s a community out here that’s ready to be engaged, that’s ready to be a part of the conversation and it needs to be more than three minutes on a Tuesday night."
Both Carraway and Rasputin said they are planning to speak at the meeting Tuesday night starting at 7 at Norfolk City Hall.
"Right now, I fear that attempts to try to like make things safer by targeting nightlife, by targeting DJs, by targeting youth culture when they come together and dance. It's just going to create unsafe spaces where violence can happen much more easily," said Rasputin.
During that same meeting, city council could also decide on one restaurant’s future.
There will be a public hearing on whether or not to revoke Legacy Lounge and Restaurant’s Conditional Use Permit.
The city claims they failed to adhere to the conditions of their permit.
That decision would come after four people were shot outside of the business a month ago, including a sheriff's deputy.
In a letter to the city, Legacy’s attorney asked if the public hearing date can be moved. She said her clients are working to get “pertinent” video footage from the night of the shooting.