The nightclub formerly known as the Velvet Underground in Charlottetown is looking for a new image.
Construction workers are busy these days on Prince Street transforming the interior and exterior of the establishment.
Within days, the club, also known in the past as Breakers, will feature a large outdoor patio, expanded kitchen and a brand new name.
Preston Henderson, who manages the establishment, says they're close to announcing the new name but the key aspect of the transformation will be the restaurant angle of the business.
"If you're going to serve alcohol during the day you have to serve food so that's one thing we want to start pushing is the food service,'' Henderson said in an interview this week.
But it's the large new patio that continues to catch most people's attention, spanning almost the entire length of the vacant adjacent property. That piece of land was home to a slew of business — Johnny's Mayfair Tearoom, City Cab, Rose's Barber Shop, Tombstone Tattoos and Tribes Art & Décor until a fire destroyed them all in 2007.
The owners of the Velvet Underground purchased the lot that corners Prince and Kent streets. There was some talk about converting it into a leased parking lot but they opted to go with expanding the club.
"It's going to be a true patio deck,'' Henderson said.
To provide some privacy, the owners will erect a fence along the Kent Street side.
"We're going to have it enclosed but we're also going to have a gate going out right in the corner there. There's actually going to be a gate built there as well and we're going to allow people to enter from the street. We'll be allowed to do that during the day.'
High wooden beams stretch up past the lower part of the old Velvet roof. That will be to support a canopy or trellis overhead. There will be enough seating for approximately 40 people.
The project did not require city council to sign off on it because the patio is on private property in a downtown mixed use (DMU) zone.
Coun. Rob Lantz, chair of planning, said Thursday the building permit was signed off by planning staff about a week ago but it wasn't until early this week that the owner actually had it in hand because they were awaiting a signed encroachment agreement which is required because the fence is on a public right-of-way.
"The owner's intention is to serve food and drinks on the patio, similar to Old Triangle, Peakes, Gahan, Old Dublin, etc., which are all on private property,'' Lantz said. "Currently, there is nothing in the bylaw that regulates hours of operation on a patio that is on private property but the owner has been put on notice that the nuisance bylaw will be applied if necessary.''
Patios like Hunter's Ale House, Sims, Leonhards, etc., or those on Victoria Row are on the public right-of-way and had to be approved by council. They have their hours of operation and other conditions regulated by signed agreement with the city.
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