Visitors to Kamloops’ newest casino will be able to enjoy drinks outdoors until 2 a.m. with the approval of city council.
Councillors voted this week to allow the Cascades Casino owned by Gateway Casinos to keep its four patios open until the end of its hours of operation, rather than following a staff recommendation that would have shut them down at 11 p.m.
Gateway is applying for liquor licences for its Versatile Drive casino, with a capacity of 1,942 people, including a 127-person patio; a restaurant and pub with a 970-person capacity, including three patios which could hold 518 people; and a sports bar area that can hold 161 people.
Planning and development manager Randy Lambright said staff were recommending the patios close earlier because of noise concerns. While Gateway had provided a noise study suggesting the casino would not produce a higher volume of sound than traffic noise already heard in the area, Lambright said there are concerns about noise bouncing off retaining walls near the site and creating an amplified effect.
Lambright said the decision could lead to other bars and restaurants in more residential neighbourhoods to apply for later patio hours to compete with the casino, which he said would “create a ripple effect of noise throughout the community.”
Coun. Tina Lange said she’s not concerned about noise issues in that area, noting the nearby Holiday Inn has signed off on the casino’s requested hours.
“The location of it is not around a lot of residences and apartment buildings and, since the hotel has said they’re in favour of it, that would have been my only concern for noise,” she said.
In response to questions from Coun. Dieter Dudy, Lambright said land behind the casino is slated for residential development.
But, Coun. Pat Wallace said even if more residents move in to the area after the fact, she’s not overly concerned about the casino’s impact on the area.
“We live in a world of noise and I certainly, living just off of Tranquille Road, hear buses all night until they quit,” she said.
“I hear planes, I hear cars, I hear people at 2 a.m. going down to the water and that’s just a matter of life.”
Only Coun. Donovan Cavers and Coun. Arjun Singh voted not to support the expanded patio hours.
Mayor Peter Milobar recused himself from the debate as he owns the same kind of liquor primary license for which Gateway is applying.
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