Crown Uptown Theatre’s occupancy to increase, but not by much

The Wichita City Council voted in favor of removing the occupancy limit for the Crown Uptown Theatre – but that won’t immediately boost the occupancy to what the theater owner has sought in the past.

Removing the occupancy limit from the building’s zoning increases its occupancy by only 10 people. That’s according to a variance set on the building back in 2018.

Owner Mike Brown has sought for almost a year to increase the occupancy limit. That push faced many setbacks and led to his threat to demolish the theater. The city considered placing the theater on the Wichita Historic Registry to protect it from demolition, but council members deadlocked on that 3-3.

Council member Brandon Johnson, who represents the area the theater is in, added in his motion to remove the occupancy limit that if the owner were to increase the occupancy even more, it would require installation of a fire suppression system and a parking survey.

“The neighborhood’s main concern, outside of those who know that the building had some safety issues without a fire suppression system, was the impact of vehicles on the neighborhood,” Johnson said. “Those are my concerns as well.”

Previous attempts to increase the building’s occupancy failed mainly because the theater does not have a fire suppression system.

Brown contended earlier this year that the theater, which caught fire from a lightning strike in 2021, is not made of combustible material.

Plans for increasing the building’s occupancy are not immediately known.

Brown would not take questions over the phone after Thursday night’s council meeting.