A few days before last night’s Charleston City Council vote, the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association, Inc. (GCRA) released a study refuting the city’s reasons for implementing the Late Night Bar Moratorium.
GRCA funded the study “in the interest of making an educated decision about the issues that the City of Charleston 's proposed Late Night Bar Moratorium Ordinance is designated to address.” The study reviews the current situation, the proposed changes, offers a legal analysis, and more.
The study refutes the City Council’s claims that bars and restaurants that serve alcohol after midnight are harming both the “residential quality of life and the diversity of commercial use.” GCRA says the study shows “no direct negative correlation” between these types of businesses and law enforcement statistics, residential property values, and the overall diversity of commercial use.
GCRA also says the study shows the economic impact of these businesses is actually beneficial to the city.
