More people will soon be able to belly up to the bar legally in the Beagle Pub following a Victoria council decision last night.

But co-owner Bart Reed didn't get as many licensed seats as he wanted.

In the end, council opted for a compromise suggested by Mayor Dean Fortin that will increase the licensed capacity to 138 seats from 85. Reed had sought 161 seats.

"What it means is ... we're going to have lineups every Friday night and I have got to ask why," Reed said following the decision.

The application now goes to the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch for final approval.

Neighbours, patrons and workers, many dressed in orange "Support the Beagle Pub" T-shirts, packed the council chambers and lined up to support Reed in his application. Even former premier Dan Miller, a local resident, spoke in favour.

Reed told councillors he was only asking to formalize what has been the status quo for the last 23 years. "I'm not adding any seats. Nothing is changing," he said.

Reed pointed to a 2,500-name petition supporting his application, noting he also has the backing of the Cook Street Village Merchants Association and that more than 2,000 people indicated on the Beagle Facebook page that they support the proposal.

Three people spoke against the application.

Both councillors Lynn Hunter and Charlayne Thornton-Joe said they had received e-mails from people saying they felt intimidated about showing up at the public hearing given the huge show of support expected.

Cited twice over the past five years for over-serving in his Cook Street pub, Reed was taking advantage of a one-time-only option to apply to the liquor branch for an increase in capacity.

To do that, he needed city approval to lower his parking ratio. Generally, pubs have a ratio of one parking space for every three patrons -- Reed wanted to reduce that to 1:7.

While licensed for only 85 patrons, the pub was built to hold far more and safety regulations allow for 145 customers inside and 18 outside. Reed pointed to a parking study he commissioned that says there's always at least one available spot in his lot.

He noted he's regularly exceeded his licensed capacity for years with no complaints from patrons or neighbours