Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Booze Edgewood, Auburn bars could pour until 3:55 a.m. under councilmembers' late-night bar hours pilot program
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Tue, Jul 6, 2010 at 7:00 PM
Last year, Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall proposed rolling back bar hours in hopes the additional carousers would boost revenues and help revive the city's dwindling nightlife. The proposal, which came out of nowhere just weeks before the Council called it quits for the year, was met with applause from bar owners and night owls and jeers from some neighborhood advocates. Hall decided he'd fight another day. But he also promised to revisit the issue.
Today he did.
Hall and Councilmember Michael Julian Bond want the city to launch a pilot program to evaluate the benefits (and challenges) later bar hours might pose for businesses, residents and city officials. And where better to start, the councilmen say, than Edgewood and Auburn avenues, two historic downtown streets that are already home to an up-and-coming nightlife scene — and in dire need of investment?
Under legislation introduced today by the two councilmembers, bars in the district could opt for the following hours:
>> Monday through Friday: Such bars as Noni's and Pal's Lounge could pour from 9 a.m. until 3:55 a.m. the following day.
>> Saturday: You could imbibe from 9 a.m. until 2:55 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Of course, bars gotta pay a premium if they want to enjoy the perk. Under the proposal, watering holes that participate in the pilot program would have to pay a special $2,500 "extended hours permit," plus a $300 filing fee. Bars would have to be free of any city or state alcohol violations in the last 12 months. They'd also have to hire an off-duty police officer to provide security. The permit, which remains valid for the same period of time as its associated annual booze license, could also be revoked by the police chief if the licensee failed to be responsible.
Hall also introduced a separate resolution calling for a full review of the alcohol license and review process in the city. That task would be headed by a committee comprised of residents, bar owners and public officials. Council's Public Safety Committee gets the fun task of picking the group's membership.
There are many ways this proposal could be good (and bad) for the city's nightlife and budget. Feel free to start thinking out loud, with your fingers, in the form of angry comments to me. Or simply pour yourself a tall, refreshing glass of Franzia and read the legislation PDF here.
UPDATED, 7:07 p.m.: Hall, Bond and Council President Ceasar Mitchell, who's proposed examining later bar hours before, chime in via city press release:
According to Hall, “This pilot program will allow us to determine whether current hours of operation could be extended and, if so, how the extension of this privilege should be managed by the city so as to serve the best interest and public safety of citizens and visitors.” [...]“Our tourism, convention and entertainment businesses are central to Atlanta’s economic health as well as our largest providers of jobs,” said Bond. “The pilot will give the City an opportunity to test the waters — can it increase the City’s revenues without negatively impacting our public safety infrastructure.” [...]
“Having devoted considerable time and energy in the past to connecting our pouring hours with public safety and economic development, I intend to remain engaged and involved with this important initiative,” said City Council President Ceasar C. Mitchell. “It is further imperative that we garner sufficient input from our affected stakeholders in both our neighborhoods and in the business community.”
UPDATE, Wed., 11:01 a.m.:Here's a map of the proposed district.
View Edgewood Avenue/Auburn Avenue Pilot District in a larger map
Comments (13)
Showing 1-13 of 13
As a business owner on Edgewood, I think this is a great idea. Come on Atlanta, let's try it and see if it works! BRING BACK THE NIGHTLIFE TO ATLANTA!
like
dislike
Didn't they try this at Underground?
Bars citywide should be able to stay open until 4A except for Buckhead, no need upsetting the old rich clowns up there.
I don't agree with having certain politically favored areas closing later, I thought the whole reason for the rollback was "safety"? We all knew that was BS from the start but having some areas open and others closed just shows how the city's leadership was full of crap for rolling back hours.
At least the flower lady has left office.
It's not that this area is politically favored, it's that NPU-M, the planning unit covering this area, opposed the earlier closing of the bars from the start. This was a Buckhead issue masquerading as a city-wide issue pushed down the throats of people who wanted nothing to do with it.
Young people like to go out...late. We're not doing ourselves any favors by creating an atmosphere that's hostile to attracting young people to our city. That includes the wrongheaded efforts to roll back the nightlife in 2003.
Who else do you expect to buy all of those empty 1 bedroom condos but young single folks?
If you want bars in your neighborhood to stay open late, get yourself to a community meeting and support your local taverns... That's what we've done in The Old Fourth Ward
One can only hope that if this comes to pass the "can't have anything nice" crowd won't find a way to ruin it.
I'm starting to wonder if on an aggregate level this town has the requisite maturity for something like a Beltline or a Streetcar or 4am last call to work.
Then jump on it Wesley:
NPU-W Chair
Edward Gilgor
404 483-1300
edward.gilgor@gmail.com
District 1, Carla Smith
csmith@atlantaga.gov
District 5, Natalyn Mosby Archibong
narchibong@atlantaga.gov
Good luck!
@Matt Yeah, but when you live in a neighborhood that becomes a bar-hopping district there can be other problems. There are certain areas that are fine with this and certain areas that aren't. I don't think it is disingenuous for the city to respect those differences.
Regarding that map above, the first group that bar hops from Auburn to Edgewood by crossing Hilliard @ 3 in the morning deserves free drinks.
Am I the only one who's noticed that the crime rate has steadily gone down with the earlier closure of Atlanta's nightlife? People are now moving back into town to live, raise children and ooze their gentrification all over. Coffee shops, diners, white people pushing strollers... Keep the hours where they are.
Am I the only one who's noticed that the crime rate receded like a flood when Atlanta became more family oriented? People are now moving back into town to live, raise children and ooze their gentrification all over. Coffee shops, diners, white people pushing strollers.People can get trashed at home and still roam the streets looking for trouble... Keep the hours where they are.
Yes to 4AM. Yes sometimes there can be residential issues single family home suburbs. But places like this make sense.
The 4 AM bars in DeKalb often just mean people start later.
You really should check out Edgewood...the city has been doing a great job of cleaning up the corner of Edgewood and Hillard.
It should be 3:55am Monday-Sunday. Most people go out on Saturday so why is it 2:55am on Saturday but it's 3:55am Monday-Friday?
Why is it ok to get drunk during the day when most people are on the road instead of at night when most people are sleep? 40k people at a Braves game, 70k people at a Falcons game, 100k people at a Nascar game can get drunk during the day but you can drink after 2:31am? Doesn't make any sense! New Orleans, Vegas, Miami, and Atlantic City doesn't even have a last call! NYC, Chicago, Buffalo, Dekalb County, College Park, etc last call is 4am. Why is it ok for the SUBURBS of Atlanta to have a later last call than the city of Atlanta???
Wake up Atlanta! It doesn't make any sense to be able to drink at 2:31pm and not at 2:31am!
They should change the last call back to how it used to be. Everybody close at 4am and let 3 clubs be able to stay open 24/7 (Backstreet, Riveria, 112)
Latest in Fresh Loaf
-
Beatys, Task Force is out of Peachtree-Pine in 10 days — UPDATE 11
Task Force for Homeless has less than two weeks to clear out
-
Familiar story, new headline: Local woman gets what she deserves 3
I feel the opposite of bad for the people who get robbed buying "iPads" in parking lots
-
AJC seemingly out to derail Atlanta Streetcar 22
AJC seems to have it in for the Atlanta Streetcar
- More »
Author Archives
-
Senate peace treaty apparently falls apart, surprising no one 2
The upper chamber soap opera continues
-
The Georgia Gold Dome's cast of characters 2
Meet the state's legislators, from Woodstock's unwavering conservative to Atlanta's romance novelist
- More »
