Proponents behind a new 400-seat downtown nightclub going by the name Coyote's wants to set the stage for major entertainment acts, said Ted Coole, a member of the proponent group.
"If all you've got to offer is alcohol, forget it, you're done as a business venture in today's market reality," he said. "Atmosphere and entertainment is what makes the world go round."
But the group may find themselves barred from the downtown since RCMP have said conclusively they do not support additional liquor establishments in that area.
The proponent partnership consists of the Coole family (brothers Ted and Robert plus Ted's son Nate) and business partners Cam Thun and Lorne Larose.
The old Cineplex Odeon and former Good Time Bingo hall on Third Avenue is the intended location, and a dormant liquor license from The Roadhouse Cabaret would allow its operation.
Owner and local businessman Ray Kandola would lease the building to the Coyote's group with an option for their future purchase.
But the plan cannot go ahead without a change to the building's zoning, and it can't happen without council's support in the provincial application process.
One of council's considerations is how the RCMP feel about a proposed liquor business.
"We feel very good about the direction of our policing in the downtown and we do not support the addition of any new liquor establishments in that area," said Staff Sgt. Brad Anderson, the acting commander of the Prince George RCMP detachment.
Proponents had pitched the idea to City Hall about putting the club in the former Cadillac Ranch location but, said Coole, they were turned down.
"We have canvassed the surrounding neighbourhood - the businesses across from or to the side of the proposed site," said Coole. "To date there has only been one business site concerns that would lead to opposition of the development, but I feel they are concerns we can easily address. We would operate long after they were closed down for the night."
He said the group intends to present plans for a second time to the Downtown Business Improvement Association (DBIA) now that the new board of directors is in place.
"And we hope [for] their support."
NOT SO HOT TIME IN THE OL' TOWN TONIGHT
According to public records obtained by The Citizen, downtown Prince George currently has 1,673 liquor-primary seats although some are active only for special events. Five years ago there were 2,946 seats in the downtown. Going back to 1980 (details less reliable) there were at least 2,000 more than that.
Even with more than 3,200 confirmed drinking seats culled from the city's downtown, one local liquor industry insider said none of today's establishments operates at anywhere near their capacity and a full house is rare for any of them.
The Coole family has been liquor and entertainment vendors for decades in the city. They were the proprietors of the Prince George Hotel until its recent sale and closure, and they currently operate the Westwood Pub.
Coole said the proposed new club would tap into an audience not frequenting the other nightspots and would boost the overall vitality of Prince George for events like the 2015 Canada Winter Games and tourist perceptions of B.C.'s northern capital.
"We would represent zero new liquor-primary seats over what the city had in the past two years," he said. "So many closures have happened, and if you look at the numbers over the years, the statistics are quite wild."
Thun is also a generational operator of pubs, clubs and liquor stores. Coole said they have the experience to know that the only way to succeed with a 400-seat venue is to bring in a crowd that so far has no regular hang-out: the 25- to 50-years-old demographic.
"We have 10,000 square feet, there are 25-foot-high ceilings, the washrooms are unbelievable, it is an open room. It is a blank canvass for a nightclub like this," Coole said. "It allows you enough seats to be able to pay for the caliber of entertainment people would be wishing to see in a place like this. The entertainment would be A-class bands travelling on circuits, the tremendous local groups we know are out there, plus name acts in the $50-$75 range to see them perform. We are confident it will be viable."
He said the need for a cover charge large enough to dissuade undesirable social elements, adding to the patrons' sense of security inside.
Coole also stressed that the nightclub proposal for a club at the Third Avenue and Vancouver Street intersection was in early stages of paperwork. The group was committed, however, to investing the thousands of dollars necessary just to apply for City Hall's and Victoria's consideration and to formal public consultation before any doors would open.
P.G.: A HISTORY AS CANADA'S BOOZE CAPITAL
According to research by Jan-Udo Wenzel in his book Ginter, the city used to have quite a soggy reputation.
"Drinking was Prince George's favourite pastime," he wrote. "The city had the highest per capita consumption of beer in the province. Since British Columbia had the highest beer consumption of all the provinces, it stood to reason that Prince George was the beer drinking capital of the nation."
The B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch pours out much less heady numbers these days. According to their latest records, Prince George has slid off the bar stool compared to its sister cities in B.C.
Total Number of Liquor-Primary Licenses (All-Inclusive)
Kelowna - 82
Kamloops - 69
Nanaimo - 62
Prince George - 45
If you subtract recreation centres, golf courses, legions, casinos and cultural centres, the northern capital still staggers behind.
Only Counting the Bars, Pubs, Lounges and Nightclubs
Kelowna - 49
Nanaimo - 46
Kamloops - 45
Prince George - 31
Veteran licensees agree that drinking habits have changed drastically over the past 50 years in Prince George and across Canada. Society is spending less time in adult-only watering holes and more time nursing small amounts over dinner at a restaurant or taking their libations home. Prince George and the comparison cities each have (in addition to a smattering of private cold liquor stores) three government liquor stores. These are their combined 2009/10 sales totals (all liquor varieties combined).
Kelowna - 6,258,827 litres
Kamloops - 3,975,831 litres
Prince George - 3,400,778 litres
Nanaimo - 2,848,903 litres
TODAY'S DOWNTOWN NIGHTCLUBS
(Name, number of seats)
The Rum Jungle - 400
The Generator - 281
The National - 184
Shooter's/Jordy's - 299
Coach's Corner - 158
Riley's/Day's Inn Ballroom - 271
The Croft - 80
Downtown Total...1,673 liquor-primary seats
(Royal Canadian Legion has various additional licenses, sometimes in use but sometimes not, totaling 716 seats)
DORMANT OR DEAD SINCE 1980 (*in last five years)
(Name, number of seats - some totals are approximate)
* The Cadillac Ranch - 350
* The Roadhouse - 320
* Joe's Place - 200
* The Astoria Hotel - 98
* The Columbus Hotel - 125
* Sgt. O'Flaherty's - 180 (still active, unused)
- Club 770/Red Garter Room - 348
- The Canada Hotel - 125
- Simon Fraser Lounge - 200
- The Elks Lodge - 520
- Crown's Corner (PG Hotel) - 125
- The Europe Hotel - 125
- Fifth Avenue Pub - 125
- The Ramada (still active, unused) - 67
-The McDonald Hotel - 388
There were others but public records could not be confirmed as of deadline.
