Bar owners welcome nightlife task force — but want results
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Edgewood Avenue established itself as one of Atlanta's most lively nightlife spots in the early 2010s. Photo: Thomas Wheatley/Axios
Bar owners along Edgewood Avenue say they want the city's latest effort to improve public safety along the lively nightlife corridor to stick, not fizzle out like past attempts.
Why it matters: Violent crime is down in Atlanta, and Edgewood Avenue is no different, the city said. But high-profile crimes in the area have spurred city officials to take action.
Catch up quick: On Monday, a task force convened by Mayor Andre Dickens and Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari said it would study short-term fixes and long-term strategies to ratchet down illegal activity.
- The move follows a recent weekend in which three separate shootings on or near Edgewood resulted in one person's death and nearly a dozen people injured.
Zoom in: Starting immediately, the city is stepping up police patrols; ensuring bars, restaurants and businesses are complying with business-license and food-vending regulations; and improving traffic flow.
- In the long term, the city wants to add more cameras, use zoning regulations to target problem vacant lots, and find policies to "strengthen proactive enforcement and support long-term safety enhancements."
By the numbers: Roughly a quarter of the businesses on the street are not complying with Atlanta's business license regulations, according to the city. Six businesses are not in compliance with alcohol licensing regulations.
Yes, but: Bar owners like Joystick Game Bar's Johnny Martinez told Axios they've been flagging issues to the city since 2016, but long-term change remains elusive. He hopes the city and bar owners can work together to make one of the city's rare independent nightlife areas thrive.
- Martinez said many bar owners feel they're paying the price for activity that happens outside the bars and after doors close, often involving underage crowds, unlicensed pop-up parties, and little city enforcement.
- Martinez said his business is following regulations and has spent $300,000 on extra security since the pandemic. "That's money we could have spent on raises," he said.
The other side: A Dickens spokesperson told Axios the task force is committed to long-term solutions. During a recent tour, the mayor spoke with business owners, including Martinez, and said partnerships are vital to keeping the street safe.
The big picture: Potential fixes, Martinez said, could include better lighting, improving sidewalks, and cracking down on unlicensed pop-up parties.
- Perhaps most importantly, creating a consistent strategy for managing the street, especially after last call and the bars close.
What they're saying: "Bourbon Street gets crazier than Edgewood does every night of the week," Martinez said.
- "But at the end of the night, that thing is shut down. They walk the street, they clean the street, and everyone goes home."
- "And there's no strategy here."