Project 1012: Closure of 20 RLD C/S postponed

[TwoCanucks]

This was mentioned in another thread as part of a larger discussion, I think it deserves to seen by all eyes.

I could be wrong, but this is why Old Church remains opens.

Rough google translation...

Postponement closing coffeeshops Wallen
Mayor Van der Laan has provisionally decided to postpone the closure of over twenty coffee shops in the Red Light District.

http://www.at5.nl/artikelen/87014/uitst ... llengebied

This Van der Laan on Wednesday announced the first council meeting after the summer recess. The mayor decided to delay beyond questions of the SP and D66. 26 of the 76 coffee shops in the area will be on the list to be closed in connection with the 1012 project, a community project aimed at the Ramparts to clean. From der Laan wants closure now at least until the end of October postpone. This is because he wants to see what the coalition says about the distance criterion of coffee shops in order to avoid later by an accumulation of actions even more shops to close down. "Until a new government has decided what will happen with the wietpas and distance criterion Amsterdam marking time make. Otherwise, there is sometimes more than two thirds of the coffee shops in the capital forced to close. With a high risk of more and more street drug runners as a result, "says D66 leader Jan Paternotte. SP leader Laurens Ivens calls it 'good that Amsterdam now stop getting rid of entrepreneurs who have a coffeeshop in the Red Light District.

[Dimon]

I think that guy,the Mayor of Amsterdam ,is pretty smart dude I think he knows what he is doing and what will happen if coffeeshops will start closing

[TwoCanucks]

Make no mistake, these coffee shops will close. the target is to clean up the 1012 area code of Amsterdam with a street oriented approach. I know this isn't the first time this has been brought up, but there doesn't seem to be a thread on it...

Here's the link to the original news story...

http://www.amsterdam.nl/@448683/pagina/

In the map below, everything in deep GREY (basically the Centrum) is in the 1012 area code. The streets in specific colors mark target areas for the plan.




And this from Amsterdam.com (from April 2012)...
http://amsterdam.com/big-changes-ahead-for-amsterdam


Despite the huge tourism revenues generated, it seems the Dutch tolerance for the brothels and marijuana-peddling coffee shops in Amsterdam’s Red Light District is waning.

Despite the ample revenues provided, many of Amsterdam’s official government representatives have been waiting for over a decade to shut down, or at least partially reduce the proliferation of the brothels, sex shops and marijuana-peddling coffee shops in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, possibly the world’s most infamous center of social permissiveness, and one of the city’s main tourist attractions at the same time.

Now it seems that the many years of controversial arguments, internecine political battles, partial reforms and ongoing negotiations with the owners of the coffee shops, sex shops, gambling halls and brothels to give up the part of the city they have occupied for decades is beginning to starting to show some tangible positive results. According to Project 1012, named for the Amsterdam’s area code and approved by the city elders in 2008, the extremely popular Red Light District planted squarely in the heart of the historic area of the city and crossed by the beautiful Oudezijds Voorburgwal and Achterburgwal canal zones lined with remarkably-preserved 17th-century townhouses, has been calling out for a new approach to the entertainment and spending habits of the thousands of tourists who flock there annually. Despite the income the tourism provides, Project 1012 has called the district an “eyesore” and says the time is long overdue to encourage fashion studios, art galleries, cafes and restaurants, as well as traditional shops like bakeries and florists, to move into the Red Light District and replace the human and other “displays” of dubious propriety there. Scantily-clad prostitutes displaying themselves in red-lighted shop windows may attract plenty of tourists, but it has also attracted many criminal organizations over the years as well.

Project 1012 has had an uphill climb in its gradual, but steady march toward many of its objectives scheduled for completion by the year 2015: Despite intense opposition from many vested interests in the district, the ambitious project has managed to shut-down 192 of the 482 prostitution shop windows, remove 26 of the 72 marijuana-oriented coffee shops, and send most of the sex shows and souvenir shops packing.
The 1012 Project also plans to put more pressure on the property of owners refusing to leave, and close any business that is unable to prove it is not a criminal organization. The Project also plans to buy up any of the remaining buildings that still rent space to sex and drug-oriented businesses.

The city has already purchased 20 buildings from one owner of multiple brothels, and has already closed most of the targeted prostitutes’ display windows. Foreign tourists have already been legally banned from entering the marijuana-selling coffee shops and a full drive to shut down the remaining cannabis shops and other disreputable establishments will begin this September. (EDIT: the only issue with this article) Many believe the success or failure of the redevelopment campaign will depend on the city’s ability to persuade more reputable businesses to move into the infamous part of the city that still has a questionable future. Even though Holland has always had a reputation for being very open-minded, it seems the Dutch tolerance for the many Eastern European mafia organizations behind the sex, drug, money-laundering, and human trafficking industries in old Amsterdam has finally reached its apex.

Edit: and I found this 2 year old thread now, my bad for starting a new one.

https://www.coffeeshopdirect.com/forum/viewt ... oject+1012

[Dave J]

If they want to clean those areas up and they can't while the coffeeshops remain in those numbers in that area perhaps it might help if the government allowed those coffeeshops to relocate while retaining there coffeeshop licence?.

[Adamster]

From the looks of the map...Green House would close right

[godhed]

How am I supposed to get high before I visit the RLD girls for an oil change?

[Dave J]

Is there a list of which coffeeshops would be closed under this policy?. By the looks of it, that arera would certainly cover Voyagers, Utopia, Greenplace, Basjoe as well as either good or bad about 60% of coffeeshops you could name in Amsterdam.

If this was something that was supposed to happen sooner rather than later how come this is the first I and probably many have heard of this scheme on this site?. Surely those that own\run at least Voyagers & Utopia would know of this to have mentioned this scheme yet I cant find any mention and neither active presence of Voyagers or Utopia staff on here have commented on this scheme to tell us beyond the plans what the reality of the situation is with reguards to those plans?.

I'd guess if the owners of the property are those who actually own and run the coffeeshops then those plas would be more difficult?.