City Council
MEETING DATE: 8/8/2018
TITLE:
Title
2nd Annual Palm Springs Leather Pride Parking Lot Party
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FROM:
Chris Parman, Communications / Events Manager
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends the approval of Special Use Permit #18-018 to hold the 2nd Annual Palm Springs Leather Pride Parking Lot Party.
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BACKGROUND:
Palm Springs Leather Pride is organized and produced by volunteers and members of Palm Springs Leather Order of the Desert (PSLOD), a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation. It promotes with power and pride the right of all adults to engage in safe, sane and consensual sexual expression and orientation.
The organization raises money for local and national organizations such as AIDS Assistance Program, Desert AIDS Project, Desert Women for Equality Mammogram Program and Well in the Desert. Over the past 23 years, they have raised more than $250,000 for these charities and causes.
Each year, the PSLOD holds the annual Mr. Palm Springs Leather Contest, the annual Gala dinner and cocktail party, pool parties, and other activities including the Friday night parking lot party. In recent past, most of the events have occurred in Palm Springs.
The 2017 annual parking lot party was held last year for the first time at the Barrack's Bar in Cathedral City as the event moved from the Tool Shed, an LGBT bar in Palm Springs. To my knowledge, last year's event was successful and had no calls for action of our public safety departments.
DISCUSSION:
The annual event would occur on Friday, October 26, 2018 from 6:00 pm to 2:00 am Saturday as well as on October 28, 2017 from 8:00 pm to 2:00 am Sunday, October 29, 2018 at the Barracks Bar located at 67625 E. Palm Canyon Drive. The party will attract at peak hours around 1,000 attendees, therefore there is a need to extend the event beyond the interior space of the bar and utilize their parking lot space.
The party will include outdoor music; however, they will position the speakers so the sound will go away from the residential areas north of East Palm Canyon Drive and be around 60 decibels at the edge of their property that borders residential zones. Most of the sound will be pointed towards commercial areas to the south that are typically closed during this time period.
Kevin Winters, owner of the Barracks Bar, has reached out to the landlord and adjacent neighboring businesses for permission and will have letters of support to use their parking spaces as they did last year.
Security will be provided by the Barracks Bar and PSLOD along with licensed security patrol officers. Fencing will be placed around the parking lot to control access. The fence will be covered to prevent anyone under 21 years of age from viewing any activities from the outside. They are receptive to any advice from the Police Department on how to make the event as safe as possible. They will also park vehicles at the entrances to shield a potential outside vehicle intrusion into the crowd. They have attached a security plan and map as part of their permit application.
Parking for attendees will be offered in parking lots adjacent to the Barracks Bar and they would also like to utilize the City's downtown parking garage for overflow parking with frequent shuttle service from downtown to the event, if needed. Last year, the overflow parking was not needed. They plan to have plenty of staff directing traffic on where to park and safety personnel to assist with any street crossings.
The organizers will cooperate in any way with our fire department to make sure fire and emergency access remains available for not only the event but also for surrounding businesses. They have included their emergency response plan as part of their permit application.
The organizers will provide proper insurance levels naming the City of Cathedral City as an additional insured.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The event should have little cost, if any, to the City. However, the benefits of allowing this event will provide revenue in the form of sales tax from the event and from patrons utilizing nearby restaurants and retailers. It will also encourage more attendees to find hotel locations closer to the Pride activities, which are scheduled at the Palm Springs Air Museum on Gene Autry Trail and the Barracks Bar in Cathedral City. This will make the new Staybridge Suites hotel an ideal location, which could generate significant T.O.T. revenue to the City. It will certainly sell out the CCBC Resort Hotel which is located a short distance from the Barracks Bar and thereby provide additional T.O.T. revenue. It may even provide additional revenue for our nearby RV Parks for those traveling and staying via recreational vehicles.
ATTACHMENTS:
Special Use Permit #18-018 and supporting documents