Panel nixes limit on bars in Athens

As UGA students and football fans can tell you, Athens has one of the highest per-capita bar populations in the nation. There are more than 200 businesses in the small downtown area and almost half of them have licenses to serve alcohol, officials estimate.

But a move to put a limit on them has apparently hit a dead end.

Mayor Nancy Denson had requested that a committee of the Athens-Clarke County Commission consider capping the number of bars in the downtown area, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.

The committee considered a number of data, including crime and revenues, and voted unanimously Tuesday against a cap, the Banner-Herald reported.

Commissioner George Maxwell noted that the nightspots have made downtown Athens a thriving tourist destination.

“If they get drunk, it’s not our fault,” Maxwell said. “Downtown Athens is providing a service people want.”

The committee's recommendation will go before the full commission Nov. 17.