Rumpus Room closure prompts calls for preservation of unique businesses

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      A petition opposing the demolition of Main Street restaurant the Rumpus Room has gathered more than 2,000 signatures.

      In an open letter to city council issued today (March 13) by Gen Why Media and EastVanLove, the groups behind the petition state that Vancouver is becoming “a cold, unaffordable, and cultural wasteland” due to the recent loss of cultural institutions to development.

      “We will continue to engage the fast growing community who are becoming increasingly disillusioned and disenfranchised by a Vancouver City Council that is allowing condo and unaffordable housing development to gut so much that makes our city unique, vibrant, inclusive and livable,” the groups state.

      Rumpus Room co-owner Rachel Zottenberg said the restaurant at Main Street and 11th Avenue will be closing at the end of the month.

      “It’s super-heartbreaking for me because I am really attached to everybody that works here,” she told the Straight by phone. "I’m really attached to the family that has kind of been created.

      "I’m attached to this neighbourhood as well. It has been amazing how much when you work at a restaurant, you work very differently. You don’t go and sit at a desk. You’re not alone from 9:00 to 5:00. You’re part of the fabric of the community. You go and you meet everybody who lives in the neighbourhood....It doesn’t feel like you’re losing a business. It feels like we’re losing a lot of family. There’s a lot of sadness that goes with this.”

      Zottenberg said there was a demolition clause in the lease they signed before opening the space three years ago. She noted that about three months after they opened, the building owner started talking about the possibility of demolishing the building.

      “It’s pretty hard to get into a space in Vancouver without these pesky clauses,” she said.

      Zottenberg called the petition “wonderful” and said she hopes it launches a dialogue not just about the Rumpus Room, but what kind of city residents want.

      “I think it’s basically the bigger question of what do we all want our community to start looking like,” she said.

      “In the long term, what’s going to be the best thing for Vancouver? What makes Vancouver special? What’s going to make us proud of the city in the future? Are we going to proud of a city that’s all sterile and sanitary and boring or do we want some fun, exciting, interesting, artistic and creative community spaces? That’s the bigger question of this city right now. We’re losing a lot of wonderful unique little pockets of the city because money just seems to talk greater than all of our voices right now.”

      Commenters on the online petition expressed similar sentiments, including resident Randy Chatterjee.

      “The character of a community is defined by its unique institutions,” he wrote. “Lower Main has already lost Slickety's, Bert's, the Rhizome, Watson Street's BS&T, and many more. Rising taxes and up zoning are devastating our local culture. Vancouver is being hollowed out, and will soon be an empty shell.”

      Zottenberg noted she and co-owner David Duprey have had their eyes and ears open for another location, but that prices have “skyrocketed” on Main Street.

      “It’s daunting when everything else has the same sort of issues,” she said.

      According to the City of Vancouver, the owner of the building has submitted an application as part of the city's "Rental 100" policy to construct a four-storey apartment building with 17 rental units, and three retail units on the ground floor. 

      With files from Charlie Smith.

      Comments

      25 Comments

      Mark

      Mar 13, 2014 at 10:34pm

      It's not that most people are completely against development, they're simply against unchecked development. One case in point of a recent approved development in Mount Pleasant. 80& of the community was against the five condo development plan, yet the city council approved it anyway.

      I do think that resident in an area do have a say in how their neighborhood should feel like.

      RealtyCheck

      Mar 14, 2014 at 2:48am

      It's Rumpus Room that's pulling the bait and switch here. They signed a lease for cheap rent in a place that was always scheduled to be demolished. They can certainly preserve their "culture" elsewhere.

      Yeesh!

      Tom

      Mar 14, 2014 at 3:47am

      I suppose they will just have to focus on one of their other 4 bars now. Though Rumpus Room is closing, these two have opened a total of 4 establishments in less than 5 years... to me that seems to indicate a good market for unique establishments, not a bad one.

      Also, why is it implied that Slickety Jim's and the Rhizome were forced out by high rent? The owners of the Rhizome left in order to spend more time with family in other parts of the country, and Slickety Jim's BURNT DOWN a few years ago. Its new location at around Main and 20th isn't too far away.

      Thirdly, Lower Main is a very desirable place to live and I think it makes sense to provide more housing opportunities. It's a difficult trade off since that means losing unique buildings, but if we don't have more rental development where are folks going to live?

      Arthur Vandelay

      Mar 14, 2014 at 5:38am

      @Mark - 80% against is the norm when asking current residents about new developments in one's neighborhood, so council won't see the as a particular problem. Think about it, regardless of how benign the change, what would be the incentive for current residents to vote yes. At best it's a year or two of construction followed by a few more cars and people in the area. Everybody always votes no. Always. City council then has to make some grown-up decisions after which all residents say they weren't listened to. Its always the same in every neighborhood.

      Dan

      Mar 14, 2014 at 7:51am

      What's so unique about it? The name? Deep fried pickles? Give me a break. Move to Fraser lots of space over there. And yeah you signed on for cheap rent when you knew your life was going to be limited. Why do you think the rent was cheap??

      Joe

      Mar 14, 2014 at 9:59am

      Everyone wants more affordable housing but no one actually wants higher density in their neighbourhoods. High density is good!

      Lauren

      Mar 14, 2014 at 10:01am

      @Tom As a resident of Lower Main, I can say that yes, it IS a desirable place to live. But we don't need to build more condos, we need to FILL the ones that are already here. Have you SEEN the massive developments going up near Science World and Olympic Village? While huge swaths of the Village itself still sit vacant? The argument for "densification" kind of falls apart when no one is actually living in the developments the City keeps approving. The last thing the neighbourhood needs is more empty condos driving out good businesses and filling the skyline. If all I wanted from my city were soulless apartment buildings block after block I'd move somewhere cheaper than Vancouver.

      Beth

      Mar 14, 2014 at 10:03am

      Slicktey's wasn't 'lost'. It's up the street. And only because of a fire. Get your facts straight.
      There are also a lot of great independant stores on the lower half Main now where Slickety's used to be.

      OccupyMedic

      Mar 14, 2014 at 10:35am

      There's this thing that REAL cities have. It's designed to keep housing affordable & uncontrolled development in check. It's a simple bylaw called a RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT. Gregor could take a huge step in 'ending homelessness' & 'social housing' with the stroke of a pen. He does not for one simple reason: He is developer owned.

      coney burns

      Mar 14, 2014 at 10:44am

      seems to be the same all over ,,condos going up ,and staying empty,,it sounds pretty sad ,,i was there 40 years ago ,,and it was a great place to do things ,,every thing was there,,,now ,well there is no chance i will ever move back there,,sorry