Scale of new Portsmouth nightclub raises concerns

PORTSMOUTH

If Charles Greenhood's vision comes true, Olde Towne will soon have one of the coolest, biggest nightclubs in Hampton Roads.

But as word spreads about Mansion, so does concern among residents about unruly patrons and an influx of vehicles. The three-story venue, which Greenhood plans to open in mid-December, could hold close to 1,000 people, staff included.

"Soon to be the largest club in South Eastern Virginia," crowed an early version of Mansion's website.

Peter Youngblood, president of the Olde Towne Civic League, said he's talked to about a dozen residents about the club and has been approached by the owners of three restaurants on High Street.

"It's been universal concern," he said.

Greenhood, who is working with business partner Terry Webb, formerly of Entourage in Norfolk, urged skeptics to wait and see the final product.

"Then judge us," he said.

He estimated Mansion has cost $1 million and said it will double as a private banquet hall above Brutti's, his restaurant and catering business on Court Street. He blamed another local restaurant/bar owner with spreading rumors to stir opposition.

City Council members are questioning his plans. In October 2008, they unanimously approved his request for a use permit to open an "entertainment establishment" above Brutti's.

Councilmen Steve Heretick and Bill Moody Jr. said they and others believed they were approving a permit for a banquet hall, something where weddings, meetings and other events would be held. The permit request also sailed through the Planning Commission.

"Nobody had concerns with it at the time," Heretick said. "Again, I think we all pretty much accepted this was going to be a banquet facility for occasional use, not the biggest nightclub in South Hampton Roads for continuous use."

Greenhood said banquets will be a large part of Mansion, and he said city planning staff knew what he intended to do with the permit. In July 2008, he wrote a letter to the planning department about his request.

"This entertainment will include, however, not be limited to... stand-up comedy, recitals, musical performances both public and private and live bands or DJ's for receptions, parties, weddings and Bar & Bat Mitzvahs as well as many other functions too numerous to list," he wrote.

Nightclubs are a sensitive proposition in Olde Towne. Longtime residents remember David's II, a club on High Street that the city shut down in 1994 after problems with large crowds and noise. In one incident, a crowd pushed through a glass-block facade while waiting to get in.

Greenhood, a Portsmouth resident, lived in Olde Towne when David's II was open.

"I remember when David's went nuts," he said. "I remember that it was not well-managed at all."

Mansion will have private security inside and off-duty law enforcement outside, he said. The atmosphere inside will be "very, very sophisticated," something unlike anywhere else in Hampton Roads, he said. Music will vary, as will performers, which he promised would include significant acts.

"To take the enormity of what we're trying to accomplish here and compare us to David's, that's unfortunate," Greenhood said.

An early version of Mansion's website prominently featured two young women in tight, short dresses with a good amount of their cleavage showing. "It's Not a Party... it's a Lifestyle," it said. Visitors were told to follow the Mansion Party Bus.

The website was overhauled last week. The slogan and photo of the women were replaced with elegant photos of a dining table and food. All mentions of "club" are gone.

Greenhood called the website a work in progress and said he did not review the first version before it went live. The party bus is a marketing tool, he said.

To ease parking concerns, he has leased two floors from a nearby garage to use at night for valet parking, and he said a security guard will monitor each floor. A smaller lot across Court Street will hold more vehicles, he said.

The two garage floors will accommodate about 250 vehicles, said Jack Austin, the city's Parking Authority superintendant. It is the first time the authority has leased spots for valet parking, he said.

Fred Sanborn, who was Olde Towne Civic League president when the venue's permit request was approved, said Greenhood "has always been a good neighbor to Olde Towne and to the business community, and I don't see any reason why that would change."

But even if the venue is run well, the number of patrons could cause problems after they leave, Sanborn said. Still, he was cautiously hopeful Mansion would succeed.

"Now, if it turns out to be a nuisance, I'm getting my pitchfork and my lantern out," he said.

Dave Forster, (757) 446-2627, dave.forster@pilotonline.com