The Planning and Development Committee voted 2-1 Thursday to accept a compromise liquor-licensing plan introduced by Mayor David Stover.
The City Council’s committee of the whole decided last month to delay action on the original plan to grant 4 a.m. liquor licenses to downtown taverns that provide entertainment, serve food and provide security. The proposal was sent back to the Planning Committee, which had earlier recommended the plan for approval.
The original plan was proposed by the city as a development tool to help create a downtown entertainment district. Tavern owners outside the targeted area, however, said the action would put them at a competitive disadvantage.
The compromise would allow taverns to stay open until 3 a.m., seven days a week, if they provide three hours of entertainment three days a week, continuous security after 10 p.m. and serve food until 2 a.m. The original plan allowed for a 4 a.m. closure and three hours of entertainment two days a week.
An establishment must also have a full-service kitchen. “Essentially it can’t be just a microwave oven,”said Stover spokesman Bill Catching.
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