Need a drink? Try Auburn Avenue
Want a drink after 2:30 a.m. in Atlanta?
A proposal introduced Tuesday by Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall might provide the answer.
Hall is proposing that bars and restaurants along the Auburn Avenue/Edgewood corridor be allowed to stay open and sell alcohol past the city’s 2:30 a.m. moratorium.
In what he is calling a pilot program that could be implemented all over the city, alcohol can be sold from 9 a.m. until 3:55 a.m. Monday through Friday.
Saturday’s alcohol could be poured from 9 a.m. until 2:55 a.m. Sunday morning.
Hall, who has called for a study in bar hours before, said the change would boost the economy and stimulate growth.
The Auburn Avenue/Edgewood area has made recent attempts to develop a sustainable entertainment district. But just recently, two popular spots, The Harlem Bar and the Sweet Auburn Bistro shut down.
“This is about economic development and how we can get more places open,” said Hall, who represents the district where the pilot zone would be. “Our intent is not just focused on alcohol. We want to [encourage] club owners and lounge owners to invest in the area.”
Since 2003, taps have run dry in Atlanta at 2:30 a.m. That is when the city council – responding to resident complaints about unruly drunks staggering into their neighborhoods after a night of partying – rolled back the hours from 4 a.m.
The loudest cries were coming from Buckhead.
City Council President Ceasar Mitchell sent the legislation to the public safety committee for study.
If it passes out of council, Hall said the pilot program would run until the end of 2011. At that point, the city and the police department will determine if it should be expanded to other parts of the city.
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
