24-hour club district may face closing time

[Guest endymion]

I know that some of you don't get the Miami Herald, so here's a pointer to the article from this morning:

24-hour club district may face closing time

Miami's 24-hour-club district might soon be closing earlier because city commissioners worry about complaints from nearby condo owners.

Miami clubgoers used to staying out past dawn may soon have to continue their festivities elsewhere.

Downtown Miami's 24-hour club district is poised to turn out the lights earlier. What time is unclear, but the most radical of suggested scenarios would have the district adopt the more common 5 a.m. closing enforced elsewhere.

Miami city commissioners on Monday took the first step in reducing the size and hours of operation for the city's Park West Entertainment District.

Commissioners asked city staff to come up with a proposal for a scaled-back club district, but it may take months for a final decision. The district, located west of Biscayne Boulevard, east of Overtown and south of the Interstate 395 overpass, boasts seven nightclubs and attracts large weekend crowds.

[Guest musicalmissionary]

Oh no... someone find pod and make sure he doesn't do something drastic.

[Guest 0crystal0]

how much smaller can it get? right now they are all located on the same block!

[Guest pod]

What I foresee right now is that at the most there'll be no more 24-hour permits issued. Space, Twilo, etc, will get grandfathered in.

I don't see existing businesses being told to shut down at 5. The businesses down there make a lot, if not the majority of their money after 5 AM. It's too much of an economic engine right now to just go cold turkey. Sadly, if it is done, most of the businesses down there would shut down.

In terms of clubland, I've always seen the Downtown area as the salvation of Miami nightlife. Whether you're into dance or hip-hop. Right now Miami Beach is stale and formulaic, there's maybe 2 or 3 venues that actually do something original.

The Club Legend said '07 is the year that Downtown will have to fight the condos, and I tend to agree with him. It's happened on the beach, it's happened and happening in New York, so in other words, it isn't anything new.

The clubs have a certain advantage here. The area is government-approved, and the CRA has doled out assloads of tax breaks and development money.

The condos have an advantage in that they have assloads of money.

In the end, it's gonna come down to who has the best legal team.

[Guest lulamishka]

Where's Saleen with his "I told you so"...?

[Guest Adam Singer]

Right now Miami Beach is stale and formulaic

hahaha, and downtown isnt?

(at least in terms of music)

the party formats might be cool, but the music everywhere down here is kinda meh since WMC, minus 1 or 2 good shows

back on topic - it would suck if they ruined the 24 hour district...damn condo owners

[V. Barbarino]

I TOLD YOU SO! ;D

I for one am split on this. More on that in a second.

I don't think the clubs will be grandfathered in and lets just say they are, the city will do all it can to shut them down, especially space. Cut the head off the snake, so LP is target #1! The patio will be 1st to go, from there it's rinky dink violations until LP had enough then again it's LP and that guy will make the cities life miserable.

Now, my theory was LP knew all this and went back to the beach and mind you he owns the building that space is in, so from a business stand point, when he sells (and he will sell once the new laws come online) he'll be sitting pretty. That's prime time realestate right off of the highway.

Now, I agree with the condos going up that something has to be done, however I will go on record that no single entity as done more for Miami than club Space. That club put Miami on the global Map. People come to Miami and go, "where is club space, I want to hit the patio".... In recent years not so much, but the 1st space did.

I fell Lp should be giving a god damm medal or something. Sure he's the devil and probably loves Fidel, Chavez and Kim Jung Ill (who had 9 holes in one his first round of Golf) but he's still done great for Miami.

Post super bowl, Miami will change drastically, it's over, turn it off and pack it up, you can't beat city hall, unless it's ran by Spics who will take bribes, so maybe there is hope!

[V. Barbarino]

BTW, say hello to your new neighbors club Space, Donte Stallworth and Dessmond Howard.. They both got places in those buildings..

[Guest LeVeL]

Ohh well it was nice while it lasted...whoever thought that the 24 Hour District will stay that way was mistaken. Sooner or later someone would bitch either it be the City of Miami, The Condo Owners, A Lawsuit do to a Shooting in a afterhours nightclub in downtown or a concerned parent that lost their son or daughter to a drug overdose.

Sooner or later the ball would drop and while it was fun while it lasted, I am sure we will all live with those great memories of dancing till Noon or till the sun came out.

[Guest JMT]

the club legend called it.

well, at least we can look back and say, "i was there..."

[Guest LeVeL]

the club legend called it.

well, at least we can look back and say, "i was there..."

Yeah we can tell our kids about it when we're old farts..lol

[Guest pod]

LP and co. pretty much were the impetus behind the 24-hour zone. The city didn't really consider it until he came along in the late 90s and proposed it. At the time, downtown Miami was hurting, and it made sense as a viable entertainment district. It was a dilapidated area with no residents other than the Park Place tower, so it made sense. Where the City screwed up was allowing condos to be built that close.

Oddly enough, a lot of people I know who are moving into these buildings, are attracted by the idea that there's gonna be an entertainment district there, with bars, clubs, lounges, shops and more. Last year, myself and Bling-Blong went to a dedication ceremony held by Manny Diaz himself as documented here....

Right now there's a lot of contradictory policies going around, and I can see a split within the government even on this issue.

The clubgoers themselves (as always) don't actually realize the gravity of the situation. Whether you like Space, Twilo, Noc, or Goldrush or not, this does represent a problem for the Miami club scene as a whole.

Think about in in another aspect too. A lot of the people working down there are not on salary, they are working hourly, or for tips. Suddenly, their incomes from that night are cut in half by having to stop at 5 AM. Bartenders, security, janitors, etc. Even those on salary, face a pay cut, since they're not working as much. Nevermind the DJs (Cedric, Parantula, Rocky, Roland..) who don't even begin their sets till 7ish.

This isn't a good thing. I know most of you aren't involved in the industry, and realistically don't have the time to grandstand, but if you have the opportunity to speak up, I'd recommend it.

[Guest Major]

"say hello to my little friend"

[Guest JMT]

The clubgoers themselves (as always) don't actually realize the gravity of the situation. Whether you like Space, Twilo, Noc, or Goldrush or not, this does represent a problem for the Miami club scene as a whole.

its not good at all. if the 24 hour permits become no more, how much longer can we expect before the clubs' mere existences start getting attacked?

[Guest endymion]

The clubgoers themselves (as always) don't actually realize the gravity of the situation. Whether you like Space, Twilo, Noc, or Goldrush or not, this does represent a problem for the Miami club scene as a whole.

its not good at all. if the 24 hour permits become no more, how much longer can we expect before the clubs' mere existences start getting attacked?

I moved to South Beach from Gainesville, where we used to have this righteous 24-hour club called Simon's. There was a long time where we had weekend-long, multi-venue dance music events where you could go and dance 72 hours of your life away.

Then there was a closing time, 4 AM, except for special events. Then there were no special events permits. Then you had to go home at last call at 2 AM. Then Simon's and its satellite venues got basically zoned into nonexistence. It got pretty ugly. Part of the battle involved the city seizing night club property through imminent domain.

Once local politics start to sway against 24 hour clubs, the end of the party is inevitable.

[Guest pod]

Exactly. And it could affect Miami Beach, The Design District, etc.

A lot of people in our age bracket (21-40) come down here for the party scene and the nightlife. Sure, they've got clubs in their cities, but they close at 2 or 3.

To prove one of Barbarino's points, a friend of mine visited over the weekend, and one of the first things he wanted to do was go downtown to see Space. Other cities in the US simply don't have that kind of scene.

NYC stops serving at 4. You can stay later, but it effectively kills the crowd. LA shuts down at 2. There's the house parties and warehouse parties Ramon is so fond of pointing out, but that's not for everybody, much less a mass-media purveyor like myself. Who I am and what I represent simply aren't welcome there.

That brings up another point. The clubs down there are licensed, legal afterhours. If you are (god forbid) hurt, or injured while partying, there's certain guarantees and mechanisms in place to ensure you get the proper care, and that the venue is "safe" from litigation (if it is your own stupid fault). Also, in a club enviroment, sober staff members are on the lookout that you might be overdoing it. Ever seen the guy who is passed out in the VIP? They toss him out, not to be mean, but for his own good. If you're passing out now, who knows what later will bring if you're allowed to stay?

Warehouse parties, etc, you OD, poision yourself by drinking too much, etc, well, your chances of being permanently injured or dying go up. It's an unregulated, off-license environment. Sure, you kids might have your "underground" cred, but from a legal standpoint, the risks are substantially higher.

[Guest coach]

*cough*toldjaso*cough*

If the search worked (or if I could work it), I could find the threads where I warned of this way before construction started on any of those condos.

Here is the problem in Miami that is different than in Miami Beach. The clubs, even Space, are a drop in the bucket of the city's income. Miami is a much larger city than Miami Beach and actually has a lot of other businesses to keep it going if those *very* few clubs close down. That is significantly different than Miami Beach where historically the *only* business has been entertainment.

So, you think that Miami cares about its 24-hour district, but it doesn't. If there are any commissioners that do, it is only out of nostalgia, not out of any real economic need. They may try to keep something going just to keep up their rivalry with Miami Beach. But, other than that, do NOT look for any support from the city leaders.

[Guest endymion]

Here is the problem in Miami that is different than in Miami Beach. The clubs, even Space, are a drop in the bucket of the city's income. Miami is a much larger city than Miami Beach and actually has a lot of other businesses to keep it going if those *very* few clubs close down. That is significantly different than Miami Beach where historically the *only* business has been entertainment.

For contrast, here is what has been happening in Miami Beach. The City of Miami Beach is moving against "alternative venues". Here it's commercial house parties since we don't have warehouses. I think it's a good idea partly for the reasons that Pod outlined, and also because it supports legitimate venues. This is from this week's Sun Post:

House Party Ban

Proposed Law Would Outright Ban For-Profit House Parties

“I really don’t think we should go into people’s birthday parties and count how many people there are.â€

by Angie Hargot

Nightlife promoters are not just satisfied with throwing parties in clubs, hotels and restaurants anymore. The latest frontier: parties at expensive houses.

Now a proposed ordinance seeks to ban “all commercial activities ... including direct cash payment†parties from single-family neighborhoods, as stated by the code.

The drafted law also seeks to limit parties held in single-family neighborhoods on behalf of political campaigns or charities. Violators of the code, once enacted, face a $500 fine for the first offense in a year, a $750 fine plus an immediate shutdown of the event the second time, a $1,000 fine the third time and a $1,500 fine the fourth time.

Miami Beach city commissioners affiliated with the Land Use and Development Committee discussed the bill on Sept. 12. During that meeting, officials said nightclub-like parties have operated in single-family homes under the guise of everything from a bat mitzvah to an open house. Some are invitation-only events. Other party hosts charge admission at the door and request off-duty police personnel to work security.

To protect neighbors from the impact of such house parties, city officials often search the Net. “We regularly go online before major events and search for [possible violations],†Assistant City Manager Hilda Fernandez said.

[Guest pod]

That's the thing, there is support in the government for the area. They're the ones who sanctioned it after all. Winton, the late Arthur Teele, Manny Diaz, various department heads, are all on record as supporting the area. It isn't like Miami Beach where you've got got a nightlife-hostile government. The Miami government is essentially split on the issue right now. Nightlife isn't the primary business of the city, but it is a "stand-out" business. Again, a lot of you guys aren't in the industry, so you don't see the real ins and outs of how things lie. I guess that's why when these issues come up, I tend to write novels on this board about it.

Part of the reason people come here is the clubs, whether they be downtown or on the beach. Without the clubs, this city is just another sun-and-sand location.

A lot of this is mid-term election grandstanding though. Some of these guys are coming up for re-election, so they're taking stands on "irrelevant" issues while the real issues (terrorists, illegal immigrants) are swept under the rug since there's no quick fix for those problems. Couple that with sensationalized reporting, and the issue is already looking bigger than it really is. The city is merely investigating what will happen if they roll back closing times to 5. In other words, prepare for a round of studies, obscure PDFs from the City website, and more studies.

[Guest Gladius]

not sure if this affects where Bricks is located but we have had many noise complaints and the police officers working those nights get word right away and tell us to lower the patio music.... and there aren't any condos for miles... I guess the sound travels across the river.

[Guest dancefloored]

...but I love the whole MIAMI idea for partying all night long into the afternoon and then off to another location. Thats basically the deciding factor to stay in south FL.

Back to Toronto I go if this does go through. They shut down at sane hours or somewhat sane hours there but the music there will make it worth while. Digweed,Tenaglia, OG, Fair, DD, Fanciulli etc etc on a semi regular basis

see ya hoser!

[Guest pod]

There's another advantage to the area. You can stay as long as you want. Kicking people out at 5 when they're still drunk is hazardous.

[Guest sobe2004]

Another reason why Las Vegas is quickly catching up to Miami in terms of clubbing . . .

Any doubt LP is looking for a location there???

[Bling]

that sucks.. that means the "AFTERHOURS CLIQUE" WILL SOON GET ELIMINATED

[Guest Gladius]

that sucks.. that means the "AFTERHOURS CLIQUE" WILL SOON GET ELIMINATED

meh with how long law making procedures take in this country we wouldn't feel the full affect of this for years down the road....