Complaints about alcohol use around the Comstock Park venue sparked a review that revealed it doesn’t have a permit for live music. It will be closed at least through summer and might seek a new site.
Silencing the Music: The Bangups played a show at Camp H Skate Park earlier this year. The township has since ordered concerts halted at the venue. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Camp H Skate Park, a popular Comstock Park skate park and all-ages music venue, has closed due to zoning violations following a review sparked by complaints over alcohol use.
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
All-Ages Venue: Numerous area bands performed regularly at Camp H. (Photo/Anna Sink)
In a Facebook post on May 5, the venue announced it would close for the rest of the spring and through the summer. Camp H thanked patrons for their support and expressed hopes for reopening in the fall.
Plainfield Charter Township officials ordered a halt to all activities at the space, located at 5240 W. River Drive NE in Comstock Park.
“The township sent us a letter telling us to cease and desist until we could meet with the Zoning Board,” owner Rich Haralson said. “They said they were having issues with people leaving the venue intoxicated, or walking around intoxicated. We did our best to control that, but there’s only so much we can do. I can’t control what someone does in their car.”
Susan Thompson, township ordinance enforcement officer, said complaints from the Kent County Sheriff’s Department about alcohol use near the skate park triggered the investigation. But zoning violations, she said, forced closure of the venue, which lacks township permission to stage concerts.
JAMNESTY BENEFIT FORCED TO MOVE AFTER CAMP H CLOSES
Camp H had been hosting all-ages indoor shows regularly until the township ordered a halt to the events. A Jamnesty benefit for Amnesty International featuring seven local bands last weekend was relocated to The DAAC in Grand Rapids after the skate park closed.
Skate Park and Concert Hall: Bands played the all-ages venue regularly on weekends. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Thompson said the Sheriff’s Department was “picking up so many young people for DUIs (driving under the influence)” near the park that it became a cause for concern.
The complaints led to a Zoning Board review which uncovered two zoning violations, Thompson said. The township requires special permission for recreational activities at this location and the I-Zone zoning category prohibits its use as a concert venue, she said.
“The concerts were never allowed in the building,” Thompson said. “No one ever approached us to find out if that was legal. It’s not a legal thing in an I-Zone. It is legal in what’s called an ‘I-1 Zone,’ but requires special approval. So I didn’t have any other option but to tell them they were operating an illegal operation.”
Haralson stressed that the venue has a no-alcohol policy. Haralson also said complaints were sparked mostly by the venue’s larger concert events.
PLANS FOR ‘RE-TOOLING’ AND EXAMINING OTHER OPTIONS
“We’re in an area that’s normally not very populated at night, so we were very unique for them (the township), and when we’d get those big shows, there’d be a lot of people here,” he said.
Camp H Star: Lil Wayne at the skate park in February. (Photo/Camp H Facebook Page)
As one of the Grand Rapids area’s few all-ages venues, Camp H would sometimes host 10 to 15 bands each weekend. Performers have included Lipstick Jodi, Mandayla, Murder Party, Ape Not Kill Ape, The Bitters and Beneath Corruption. Even rap star Lil’ Wayne, who’s also a skateboarder, visited Camp H for some skating runs the week that he played a February concert at Van Andel Arena.
Haralson said the shows could resume in the fall, possibly at a new location.
“It’s really a blessing in disguise. We were getting burnt out, and this gives a chance to do some re-tooling and address these issues, and that’s exciting,” Haralson said. Attendance at Camp H has been lower during the summer, he added.
“We kind of like the idea of being open seasonally. A lot of people do it, and it creates anticipation for the concert season,” he said.
The next step for the venue is to meet with the Planning Commission and file an application for special approval for recreational activities at the space, although concerts will no longer be allowed.
Possible Move? Owners are exploring options for the fall. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Another possible option would be for Camp H to find a different location in an I-1 Zone and request special permission for both the skate park and concert venue.
“We want to come up with a mutual decision that’s the right thing to do. And we want them (the township) to know that we’ll be more responsible with the alcohol and the monitoring of it,” Haralson said.
Haralson said he wants to resolve the conflicts and get back to providing a space for all-ages concerts. Haralson said the response from fans of Camp H has been overwhelming.
“We’ve been going through messages like crazy, trying to respond to hundreds of questions. But that’s really cool,” he said. “I love the fact that everyone loves this place so much that they want to know what’s going on. That just says that were doing something good.”
Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC
