Wanna open a bar in Tuscaloosa? You’re gonna have to wait awhile

The Tuscaloosa City Council voted to approve suspending conditional use applications for bars, taverns, and gastropubs in the city limits.

The council voted in favor of the moratorium effective immediately after lasting until  January 1, 2024.

Council president Kip Tyner said one of his main concerns is the late hours of operation and the time it takes to clear out patrons after the business closes.

“I think the main problem we got are the hours. And I think if we can clear up and shorten the hours of the bars, that would be a great step toward helping out our police officers,” said Tyner.

Some council members believe the moratorium will alleviate some of the burden placed on the Tuscaloosa Police Department, especially since they are so short-staffed.

“The council realizes that we need to slow down and evaluate some things and I say we need a better process of how we do bars right now,” said Tuscaloosa Police Chief Brent Blankley.

Even though the moratorium passed, not every council member was in favor of it.

” I felt like we didn’t need a moratorium to say no to bars. If we could have made the moratorium on bars that were on the strip or downtown, I wouldn’t have a problem with that,” said Tuscaloosa District 3 Councilman Norman Crow.

The council can end the moratorium before January or extend it into the new year, based on its effectiveness.

–LS–**-**