Columbia bars could continue staying open past 2 a.m., but it'll cost them

Staying open past 2 a.m. could cost Columbia bars at least 20 times more next year if a new proposal comes to life.

But that proposal has a ways to go before it will please a contingent of city residents who have fought to see all bars close at 2 a.m.

A proposal presented by the City Council public safety committee this week would make significant changes to the city law that allows some bars to obtain permits to stay open past 2 a.m. "until sunrise." A draft of the revised law would:

• Raise the initial fee for an after-hours permit to $2,500, plus a $100 application fee. The current permit fee is $50. The annual renewal cost would be $1,000 for a bar that has had no legal citations the previous year. For bars that have received citations, renewal fees could rise as high as $10,000.
  
  
• Require bars to be in operation for at least two years before they are eligible to apply for an after-hours permit
  
  
• Require bars to provide a copy of their food menus with their applications for after-hours permits
  
  
• Prohibit bars from offering drink discounts after 2 a.m. Already, bars are allowed to serve only beer and wine, not liquor, past 2 a.m., per state law.
  
  
• Prohibit bar owners from transferring their after-hours permits to new bar owners

It's a proposal that should not affect the business of bars that "do the right thing," while irresponsible bars "are going to have issues," said Councilman Daniel Rickenmann, the chairman of the public safety committee. He has been adamant against the idea of closing all bars at 2 a.m. since it was first introduced by fellow Councilman Howard Duvall two months ago.

The issue arose after some residents who live near the city's Five Points entertainment district complained that late-night bars disrupt their quality of life by fostering bad behavior that spills over into their neighborhoods.

Many of them believe that earlier closing times will help quell some of that behavior. Their opponents say attacking the closing time is missing the mark and actually might worsen some problems.

The majority of the two dozen Columbia bars that have after-2 a.m. permits are clustered in Five Points. The district is well-known as a popular destination for late-night, college-aged drinkers. And last weekend, it was the site of a shooting that injured three innocent bystanders right at 2 a.m., when all bars were closing, as state law says they must on Sunday mornings.

"We have to remember that the extended-hours permit is only one piece of the overall puzzle," Rickenmann said. "I know some people think it's the silver bullet, and they're totally mistaken."

Duvall called Rickenmann's committee's new proposal "a start."

"It's weak," Duvall said. "I think it's mostly pro-bars, and it does not help the neighborhoods much at all."

One of his suggestions: Allow bars with current late-night permits to keep them, but cease issuing the permits to any new bars.

Steve Taneyhill, the former University of South Carolina quarterback who owns Group Therapy in Five Points, said bar owners should have the ability to close whenever the crowds dictate.

"You can decide based on what's going on," Taneyhill said. "I just worry about everyone leaving all at once every night."

Scott Linaberry, who leases three buildings on Harden Street and subleases space in them to several bar owners, said the $2,500 price tag for a late-night permit could dissuade some bar owners from purchasing permits, resulting in more bars closing at 2 a.m.

In addition to owning or managing numerous Five Points bars over the years, Linaberry helped write the city's current late-night bar ordinance.

His suggestion for adjusting the ordinance to address current concerns: Set up a tiered permit pricing system, with a lower-priced permit for a bar closing at 3 a.m. and more expensive for a bar that closes at 4 a.m., and so on.

"That way, there is no mass exodus," Linaberry said. "You absolutely want to stagger (closing times)."

For Kit Smith, a Wales Garden resident who has led the charge for 2 a.m. closings, there's still work to be done on the proposal before she and many of her neighbors are satisfied.

"We hope that before this process ends, they'll hear our need. Apparently, they have heard the needs of the bar owners," said Smith, who leads the Coalition of Five Points Neighborhoods.

While the proposed changes give the city's closing-time ordinance more teeth to control the late-night scene, Smith said, "they're little baby teeth. We need grownup molars."

A public hearing and City Council discussion on the 2 a.m. proposal are planned for April 17. Any changes to a city law require two votes of approval by Council.

While Duvall insists there will be adjustments to the proposal before it will get an OK from City Council, Rickenmann is firm on one point: "2 a.m. just isn't going to go away."

This story was originally published March 22, 2018 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Columbia bars could continue staying open past 2 a.m., but it'll cost them."