* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Council President Rawlings-Blake
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Baltimore City Arts, Dining, and Entertainment Partnership Task Force
FOR the purpose of authorizing the creation of a task force to organize the development of the Baltimore City Arts, Dining, and Entertainment Partnership to promote arts, culture, dining, and entertainment in the City by bringing together key stakeholders to create a healthy, well managed environment for these activities.
Body
Recitals
The Baltimore City Arts, Dining, and Entertainment Partnership will work to facilitate cooperation and consensus building among key stakeholders to maximize economic, employment, and social benefits of hospitality and tourism to the City of Baltimore while reducing risks to public safety and any detrimental impact on the quality of life of the residents.
To achieve the goals of the Partnership, members will seek: to improve relationships among the disparate sectors of the community; to create safe and comfortable social gatherings; to identify businesses with high risk practices; to improve the public image of the arts and entertainment industry; to promote appropriate live entertainment throughout the City; and to address quality of life issues such as noise and trash in the arts and entertainment district.
Issues the Partnership will address include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Licensing - Under the current liquor licensing system, licenses are a market commodity. The system should be changed to provide for the license to remain with a specific property until the business is sold; at that point the license reverts to the State for re-issuance to a new property.
• Enforcement - Community members, both commercial and residential, are currently frustrated by the limited enforcement of laws governing the use and abuse of alcohol, non-compliance with zoning laws governing types of entertainment, and laws governing excessive noise.
• Standards - Effective enforcement requires up-to-date definitions of dining and entertainment business categories. A comprehensive rezoning plan must include input from the business and residential communities, as well as from administrative and field level enforcement officials.
• Entertainment - Because musical entertainment is prohibited in many zoning categories, businesses have limited ways of distinguishing their offerings as a draw for patronage. As a result, some businesses resort to the promotion of drinking games or competitions that lead to over-consumption and that risk public safety, while others offer entertainment in violation of zoning laws because they know there is little, if any, enforcement. If Baltimore does not take a proactive approach to responding to the desire for live musical entertainment, the market will define itself in less controllable environments. As has happened in other urban areas, Baltimore risks creating an environment that invites the encroachment of illegal raves, house and hotel room parties, and the morphing of social clubs into private nightclubs.
• Security - Standards for security training and responsibility of club security for the premises and surrounding area are unclear. After club security locks the door behind the last exiting patron, security and crowd control now falls to the Baltimore City Police Department.
To ensure the success of an Arts, Dining, and Entertainment Partnership, of necessity the membership must be broad based and as inclusive as possible. To that end the task force to organize the creation of the partnership shall include, but not be limited to, representation from the following entities:
• Department of Planning
• Baltimore City Council
• Office of the Mayor
• Community and Business Association representatives from Federal Hill, Canton, Mt. Vernon, Fells Point, Charles Village, Little Italy, Powerplant Live, Mid-town Belvedere, Charles/North, and the York Road Partnership
• Baltimore Police Department
• Arts, entertainment, and dining establishment owners
• Baltimore City State Representatives
• Board of Liquor License Commissioners
• Board of Liquor Citizen's Advisory Committee
• Department of Public Works
• Baltimore City Health Department Division of Environmental Health
• Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association
• Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts
• Downtown Partnership
• Baltimore Development Corporation
• Live Baltimore
• Baltimore Department of Transportation
• Department of Housing and Community Development
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That this Body hereby authorizes the creation of a task force to organize the development of the Baltimore City Arts, Dining, and Entertainment Partnership to promote arts, culture, dining, and entertainment in the City by bringing together key stakeholders to create a healthy, well managed environment for these activities.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That each of the entities listed as proposed participants are requested to designate representatives to the task force by copy of this Resolution.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Honorable Chairs and Members of the Baltimore City Senate and House Delegations to the Maryland General Assembly, the Director of Public Works, the Director of Planning, the Director of the Department of Transportation, the Baltimore Police Commissioner, the Baltimore Health Commissioner, the Housing Commissioner, the Chair of the Board of Liquor License Commissioners, the Chair of the Board of Liquor Citizen's Advisory Committee, the Executive Director of the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, the Executive Director of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, the Executive Director of the Downtown Partnership, the President of the Baltimore Development Corporation, the Director of Live Baltimore, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
dlr07-1186~intro/07Mar07
ccres/Arts,&Dining/nf
dlr07-1186~intro/07Mar07
- 2 -
ccres/Arts,&Dining/nf