PoCo votes to loosen rules around liquor licences, arcades

Prohibition is over in Port Coquitlam.

City council voted unanimously on Tuesday to overturn certain longstanding city prohibitions on nightclubs, cabarets, pool halls, and video game arcades.

The changes also aim to loosen restrictions around special event liquor licences, such as extending a patio or opening the doors early or late for a big sporting event.

The new direction stems from a hospitality roundtable chaired by Mayor Brad West that included representatives from city pubs, restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops, as well as members of the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce and the PoCo BIA.

The ultimate aim is to persuade businesses that Port Coquitlam is a place to: “put down roots,” West explained during a previous council discussion.

The new rules also allow for trampoline parks and escape rooms in commercial zones.

Some of the old rules seemed to originate from a time when the city was: “cracking down on unruly teenagers in the 1970s and ‘80s who were trying to use arcade games . . . or dance,” West said.

Arcades were in a class of prohibited uses alongside escort services, massage parlours, and pawnshops.

The city previously restricted the size of dance floors due to concerns regarding underground dance clubs. A recent staff report stated that underground dance clubs are: “no longer a relevant concern.”