"Crime peaks when there’s dancing"
"If I can not dance, I shall die!" -Anna Pavlova
When people say there is nothing to do in Fresno, they are usually young people and what they are really saying is that there are not enough nightclubs. The City of Fresno is working hard to make Entertainment Districts, places where speakers can be cranked up without disturbing the neighbors. My first place in Fresno was a charming flat not far from the Starline, so I can appreciate the challenge of wanting a thriving nightlife while also needing a good night's sleep. But when reading that there is a direct relationship between crime and dancing, I can't help but be reminded of Footloose and the town that had outlawed dancing. The City is far from forbidding dancing, but in a time when too many of us are overweight and frustrations over the economy challenge the best of us, my question is - how can we create environments that are safe AND encourage movement? We need to move and we need places that the Gen X & Y'rs want to go to. Probably too few of us have attended the discussions the City has held on this topic, but it's not too late to help craft ideas that can encourage a vibrant and healthy city. Let there be dancing.
Overhaul of Fresno night life in the works, Joan Obra, 7/1/09 Fresno Bee
If you dine, drink and dance, it’s time to pay attention to Fresno City Hall.
That’s because the city is working ona policy that would change Fresno’s night life. Under the new rules, you could dance only in nightclubs, not restaurants or bars. And you couldn’t linger late at night in their parking lots.
Why would the city do this? Well, city planners say some restaurants pushed the rules too far.
Faced with sliding sales, restaurants drummed up business with drinking and dancing. After dinner, they shut the kitchens, brought in music and made room for dancers, turning restaurants into nightclubs.
Then came noise, fights and calls from angry neighbors — resulting in police officers trying to control the impromptu clubs.
“We’ve had all these businesses morph,” says Keith Bergthold, Fresno’s interim planning director. “The cops cannot police that, and the neighbors hate that.”
Statistics from the Fresno Police Department show that crime rises after midnight, says interim planning manager Arnoldo Rodriguez.
“Crime peaks when there’s dancing,” he says. “The data’s fairly convincing.”
For six months, Rodriguez has met witha parade of property and business owners to get feedback on the proposed rules.
Business owners have voiced their worries: Under the new rules, how late canI stay open? Why do you need a dance permit, anyway? And with the economy so bad, isn’t this is a horrible time for new policy?
The conversations have helped Rodriguez craft rules that could both limit and expand Fresno’s night life.
On one hand, bars could open in zones that are currently off limits — such as office parks along Herndon Avenue (known as CP zones) and small neighborhood shopping centers (known as C1 zones).
We also could hang out later in northeast Fresno, since businesses in large shopping centers (known as C2 zones) would have the same closing times across the city. That means northeast bars could stay open as late as 2 a.m. if they meet certain conditions.
On the other hand, it would be easier for the city to close businesses that flout the new rules. So there are harsher consequences if restaurants repeatedly let people dance.
Plus, nightclubs, bars, and restaurants that serve alcohol must worry about complaints to police. Any business with excessive complaints is more likely to get shut down.
What’s the impact of the proposed rules on the city’s night life? Here’s my gut feeling: We would have more places to drink. We could also have fewer places to dance.
It’s not just because we’d lose the dance f loors at restaurants. Under the new rules, every nightclub must have a conditional-use permit — at a cost of about $2,700 to $6,000, Rodriguez says. I’ll bet some business owners won’t (or can’t) pay for these permits.
Want to judge for yourself ? The city is expected to publish the draft ordinance within the next week. For now, you can read an earlier version on the Planning Department’s Web site at www. fresno.gov. (For a quick link, check out my blog and join the discussion there.)
After the draft ordinance is formally published, you’ll have 30 days to send comments to Rodriguez in writing. E-mail them to Arnoldo. Rodriguez@fresno.gov.
And if you’d like to voice your opinion in person, ask Rodriguez about the upcoming community meetings to discuss the proposed rules. The Airport Land Use Commission and the Planning Commission also will hold public hearings, and the Fresno City Council could vote on the rules as early as September.
• The columnist can be reached at jobra@fresno bee. com or (559) 441-6365. Read her blog at fresno beehive.com/ author/joan_ obra.
Fresno Bee 7/1/09
Twist Restaurant is one of many that have become restaurant/ dance club hybrids. BEE FILE PHOTO