OAKLAND’S NIGHTLIFE GETS A BOOST: CITY MAKES IT EASIER TO PERMIT ALCOHOL SALES

A major boost to Oakland’s entertainment scene has gone largely unreported since 2024, when the city approved code changes making it easier to serve adult beverages Downtown. A recent expansion of the relaxed rules, including more than 100 acres in the City’s “Central Business District,” may help The Town’s once-bustling nightlife rebound after years of COVID and crime-related struggles.

The big change is that bars and other venues wanting to offer beer, wine and cocktails, can now apply for an Oakland Central District Entertainment Venue permit. The permit is reviewed by city staff, instead of a slow and expensive major conditional use permit process, where applicants endure a public hearing and Planning Commission review.

Some might be surprised by the long list of uses eligible to offer drinks under the venue permit, including mini-golf, theaters, museums, poolhalls, barbershops, nail salons and a grab bag of “similar” uses. Restaurants are not included.

For now, the Oakland neighborhoods under this permit category are most of Uptown, Downtown, Old Oakland, Broadway Valdez below 27th Street, and a small section of the Lake Merritt BART area. Chinatown is generally not included. New businesses adding physical improvements to their spaces will still need building permits, and all locales serving alcohol need a California Alcoholic Beverage Control license, but that’s true for any establishment in the state.

If you would like help navigating the legal steps necessary for opening a bar, nightclub, or other venue, please reach out to robert@selnapartners.com or (510) 904-9687.

Cheers!