Nov 3, 2009 9:49 pm US/Central
City Leaders: Illegal Bars Dodging Dallas Laws
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Dallas city leaders admit they're having trouble cracking down on bars that operate illegally along Greenville Avenue. Critics say many bars open and close so quickly, it's impossible to keep an eye on them.
That's little conciliation for Greenville Avenue neighbors and their growing list of complaints. "The first would be traffic and cars speeding down the streets," said Lower Greenville resident Angela Turnage. "The second is public drunkenness at night [and] on the weekends. And the third [issue] is the trash."
Greenville business owners are raising their own concerns. "The City of Dallas is not doing their job on cracking down on the bars that say they're going to be a restaurant," said Chris McGuiness the owner of Dodie's Seafood Café.
McGuiness says fly-by-night bars are giving Greenville a black eye. "They have noise issues and they have bands after hours without permits. They want to make a quick buck and move on, while we're here for the long haul."
Nearly 15 business owners met with council members Angela Hunt and Pauline Medrano for two hours on Tuesday. Hunt admitted there are issues. "There are half a dozen, to a dozen, bars that are problems. We've done everything we can to try to address this issue. We really want to clean up Greenville Avenue," she said.
Hunt says many businesses have restaurant permits, but act illegally as bars and night clubs. Now the councilwoman is considering a unique, one-size-fits-all solution.
Hunt wants a mandate that would require any Greenville Avenue business, bar restaurant or other that stays open after 10:00 p.m. to have a special use permit or S.U.P.
Janna Wilson runs the Live Hair Group late-night hair salon and says the possible mandate concerns her. "We might be targeted a little unfairly since we are a hair salon. It's not like we're a bar along with everybody else," she said.
An S.U.P. is typically renewed every two to three years.
The S.U.P requirement would give the city more freedom to pull permits from bars that rack up complaints.
If the idea eventually makes it before the council, it would likely face stiff opposition from several Greenville businesses. But Councilwoman Hunt is quick to point out that the "10:00 pm S.U.P." is just one of several options.
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