Rio Theater’s bid to sell alcohol prompts Monte Rio forum

When Peter Andrews got wind that the owners of the iconic Rio Theater and Café in Monte Rio were hoping to serve beer and wine to moviegoers, Andrews, who lives across the street from the establishment, took to Facebook to voice his concerns.

“I’ve just got this image in my mind of drunken teens coming out of the Rio Mosh Pit at midnight barfing stale beer in my yard,” Andrews wrote on the Friends of Monte Rio Facebook page, which he created several years ago.

With that May 26 post, the theater’s plans came into sharper focus in this small riverside community. Andrews also lodged a protest with Sonoma County planning officials who were on track to approve the theater’s use permit without public input.

Instead, the county is now planning to conduct a public hearing on the issue, unless a Saturday forum scheduled by the theater’s owners can resolve concerns about the expanded alcohol sales. The owners also are seeking to host live events at the Bohemian Highway theater twice a month, including those using amplified music.

The theater, founded in 1949 inside what was then a World War II-era Quonset hut, is owned by a consortium of Bay Area and Sonoma County artists, entrepreneurs and nonprofit types.

Colin Mutchler, one of the Rio’s owners, on Wednesday said the group’s desire to serve beer and wine to customers inside the theater reflects movie industry trends and would be good for business. He said several people who filled out a survey after the new management took over last year noted that they wanted the change.

“We have no intention of having raucous groups of people who are too drunk at the Rio,” said Mutchler, who resides in Oakland.

Under an existing use permit, the Rio Café can sell beer and wine from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The owners are seeking permission for beer and wine to be sold and consumed in the theater’s lobby and in a small seating area out front, Mutchler said.

He said outdoor alcohol consumption would end at nightfall.

Mutchler said the ownership group likely will seek approval in the future to allow Rio patrons to consume beer and wine while they watch movies. He said those plans were put on hold due to fire code regulations that require construction upgrades.

The theater is situated in an area of the county zoned for recreational use, which requires a county permit to serve beer and wine, according to Jennifer Faso with the county’s Permit and Resource Management Department.

Owners also are working with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

County officials notified neighbors on May 22 that they were planning to approve the theater’s use permit application, and to do so without conducting a public hearing, because officials deemed the proposed changes to be minor in nature. But that changed when Andrews lodged his objection.

Andrews, who serves with advisory groups for the Guerneville library, said his main concern was that the county was fast-tracking the permit application without community input.

“I was panicked this was going to go in without anybody saying anything,” he said.

Mutchler said the way the county’s notice was worded made it sound as if he and the other members of Rio’s ownership team are planning to host loud outdoor music events at the theater extending to midnight.

“I would be concerned, too,” he said. “We have no intention to do that.”

He said the request for expanded hours is mainly so that the theater can screen films later into the evening on occasion, citing as one example an annual screening of the cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” But he did not rule out having live events at the theater run that late.

“We would love to have people come together around music,” he said.

However, the county’s noise regulations forbid amplified music after 10 p.m., according to Faso.

Mutchler expressed hope that Saturday’s public forum, which is from noon to 1 p.m. at the theater, will be a positive step toward resolving any differences.

“I get the concerns and I’m confident we can find a solution,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.