Tumbleweed Lounge seeks Kamloops council's support for capacity increase

On Tuesday, Kamloops City Council will be asked to support a capacity increase at the Tumbleweed Lounge on Victoria Street.

The lounge is currently licensed under both a liquor primary licence with an interior capacity of 53 people and a 2 am closing time on Fridays and Saturdays. They also have a food primary service that allows for a capacity of 65 people inside, 28 on the patio and a 1 am closing time.

“The proposal would result in the entirety of Tumbleweed Lounge being licensed under a single liquor primary licence,” says a staff report headed to council on June 27.

“The interior capacity would be 118, and the patio capacity would remain at 28, the same as it is under the current food primary licence (total 146).”

Council authorized a resolution in October 2022, that gave the applicant, AMH Properties Ltd., support to replace the existing food primary licence that would have allowed the lounge to to be licensed under two different licenses – one with a 1 am losing time and one with a 2 am closing time.

Ultimately, the Provincial Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch did not approve the request.

The regulator "informed the City and licensee that their preferred approach is for the licensee to apply for a capacity increase to the existing licence so that there is only one licence and consistent hours of operation for the Tumbleweed lounge,” explains city staff.

The staff report says the other licensed areas in the building include rooms at the rear and interior of the first floor and on the second floor licensed food primary with a capacity of 318 and a licensed liquor primary area in the basement with a capacity of 168.

The building’s total licensed capacity is 632.

The applicant’s are applying to have 146 of the building’s capacity licensed as liquor primary.

Staff are supportive due to the location of the lounge, compliance with the BC Building Code and the fact that, with the exception, the hours of operation from 10 am to 2 am is appropriate.

On Sundays, the lounge would only be open until midnight.

Ultimately, the Provincial Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch will have final say, however, Kamloops City Council must forward their recommendation of support or not to the regulator.

Kamloops council will review the application on Tuesday at 1:30 pm.