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.
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