Theater Distrtict club wants to add several hundred more patrons a night as two neighboring lounges shut

Royale, 279 Tremont St., is seeking permission from the city to expand its capacity from 775 to the 1,200 patrons its troubled predecessor, Roxy, was once allowed to let in.

The Mayor's Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing holds a hearing on the request on Sept. 5. The office slashed Roxy's maximum capacity to 775 in 2007 after a skein of violations, from overcrowding in the streets at closing to cases of assault and battery.

Royale's request comes just four months after Mayor Menino cited it and several other Theater District night as trouble spots he wanted to crack down on after the closing-time murder of a Revere man in a parking garage used by the clubs.

But in a letter to neighboring businesses and residents, Royale General Manager Brig Dauber wrote that Royale is further moving away from the club atmosphere that kept getting Roxy in trouble. "Our intent is concentrate our business away from a dance club on Friday nights offering more Concerts and Private Events."

He continued that the net effect of expanded crowds at Royale would be diminished by the fact that the neighboring Encore and Caprice lounges, with a capacity of 350, are closing this fall.

He added that "We are diligently working with the BRA, other agencies and contractors to beautify Tremont St. We will be committing funds and long-‐term commitments to Tremont Street. We are invested in this neighborhood. We are here for the long term."

Entertainment-license hearings begin at 10 a.m. in the O'Neil hearing room on the eighth floor of City Hall.