City Staff Against Mi Patio Entertainment Permit

As the Hyattsville City Council prepares to hear public comment regarding Mi Patio's application for a permit which would allow expanded entertainment options at the Queens Chapel Road Dominican restaurant, city staff are recommending the application be denied, citing, among others, concerns over noise, crime and the ability of the county to enforce the conditions of the permit.

"Code compliance staff is concerned that the county does not have adequate mechanisms in place to ensure strict adherence to the defined permissions under this application," wrote Jim Chandler, director of Hyattsville's Department of Community and Economic Development, in a memo to the Hyattsville City Council.

Chandler's memo is one of two, the other from Hyattsville City Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Chris Purvis, which provide pages of background information for city leaders to consider as they weigh the merits of the Queens Chapel Road restaurant's application. 

"The police department believes that the new permit will add to an already significant problem of excessive noise impacting the nearby residential areas and result in a substantial increase in calls for service," wrote Purvis. 

Chandler's memo delves into the complicated regulations which govern the special entertainment permit which the owners of Mi Patio are applying for. Issued by the Prince George's County Board of License Commissioners, special entertainment permits allow the permit holder to host a range of entertainment options.

However, Mi Patio's current certificate of occupancy only permits the restaurant to be open until midnight on the weekdays. The special entertainment permit application fee $1,500 and the permit must be renewed, at cost, every year. 

The Board of License Commissioners has the power to attach conditions, restrictions, or prohibitions on the type of entertainment provided on a premises which has been granted a special entertainment permit. The board can also suspend the permit, once issued, if a majority of the board votes that the restaurant failed to uphold the conditions of the special entertainment permit. 

In previous interviews, Mi Patio owner Danny Medina has said that he does not plan on using the permit to host musical entertainment every night of the week. Instead, Medina said that he is seeking a permit which allows him to host musical entertainment seven nights per week so that he could legally host special events and entertainment on holidays which might fall on a weekday. 

According to Chandler's memo, Mi Patio's application also asks that the restaurant be allowed to host up to 100 special events, like weddings, receptions and other functions, per year.

Chandler's memo also reveals that Hyattsville has three other restaurants within the city which hold a special entertainment permit, Old Dominion Brewhouse in University Town Center, Lee's Restaurant and Sahara Oasis, both located on Hamilton Street. Whereas Mi Patio's application has stirred up debate on Hyattsville's City Council, the other Hyattsville restaurants which obtained special entertainment permits were not subjected to similar municipal scrutiny. According to Chandler, the city does not have a record of these businesses applying for or receiving special entertainment permits. 

Purvis' memo goes into greater detail on police responses to the restaurant. Hyattsville Patch previously reported that the restaurant had been visited by police 35 times in the last year. Purvis' memo extended that, examining calls for police service at the restaurant over an almost two-year period between April 2011 and March 2013, during which time police responded to Mi Patio 54 times. Those broke down into 23 calls for noise complaints, eight calls for fighting, seven calls for disorderly conduct, five calls for theft, among others. 

According to Purvis' memo, the vast majority of calls for service were between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m.

The Hyattsville City Council will be holding a public hearing on Mi Patio's application tonight at 7p.m. at the Hyattsville Municipal Building on Gallatin Street in downtown Hyattsville. The hearing immediately precedes a City Council meeting, set for 8 p.m. Council meetings and public hearings are broadcast on Comcast channel 71 and Verizon channel 12.

The Prince George's County Board of License Commissioners, which is set to consider Mi Patio's application after a public hearing scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 1 in room 200 of the County Services Building at 5012 Rhode Island Avenue in Hyattsville.

The Hyattsville City Council is expected to issue an opinion on the matter at its April 15 meeting for the Board of License Commissioners to consider.