City considers pulling the plug on arcade permits

Outfitting a space to meet the electrical needs of gaming arcades can present challenges for business owners and safety concerns for city officials who are asking for a moratorium on building permits for parlors.

Walls with double panels of drywall hiding a web of electrical wiring or overloaded electrical outlets are some of the conditions described by officers that inspect gaming rooms during police “raids.”

“It’s what we call the Christmas-tree effect,” said Leo Garza, assistant director for the city’s building department.

“This can overload the circuit and it will heat up and could start a fire,” Garza said.

Safety and other concerns about arcades have prompted a proposed moratorium on issuing permits. This will be discussed during a work session at 5:15 p.m. today at City Hall, 1001 East Elizabeth St.

Possible action follows during a special meeting that begins at 6 p.m.

“We’re asking for a rest period (to study the situation) and then come back to the commission,” City Manager Charlie Cabler said.

Buildings are rarely constructed to establish arcades. Instead, existing buildings are fitted to house them.

In the first case, building permits would be required. In the second, certificates of occupancy must be secured. Zoning authorization also would be necessary if an arcade is proposed 200 feet of a residential area.

The moratorium would be on issuing permits, certificates of occupancy or zoning authorization.

“We would not allow any permission for an arcade,” Cabler said.

Existing arcades would continue if they operate legally. They could be shut down for operating illegally or if they change ownership.

Electrical wiring is among other safety concerns including proper access to fire escapes, parking, traffic flow and the increased requirement for security details, patrols and other law enforcement resources, a proposed resolution on the moratorium points out.

When a permit is requested, the building department asks for a layout of electrical receptacles to connect the machines so that they don’t run on extension cords.

Before certificates of occupancy are issued, fire inspections also are conducted. Operators are able to secure the proper permits because the buildings are usually vacant or don’t have that many gaming machines at the time of inspection.

“After a week or two, they start adding machines,” building department Director Evaristo Gamez said.

City requirements for establishing a gaming arcade include:

-- Building permit, if new construction

-- Certificate of occupancy

-- Zoning permit, if the arcade is within 200 feet of a residential area.

Source: City Manager Charlie Cabler