Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly issued an executive order Thursday requiring Station Street businesses to stop serving alcohol by 12:30 a.m. and to close by 1 a.m., citing a concern for public safety.
The order, which will be in effect for 15 days starting Friday, is a response to "a recent increase in violent incidents in the Station Street district and out of a concern for public safety," according to a city news release. The order also prohibits patrons from bringing open containers with alcoholic beverages outside establishments and onto Station Street.
Kelly is asking the businesses to create a security plan for the district.
"Chattanooga's nightlife is an important part of our vibrant culture, but a thriving nightlife must also be safe," Kelly said in the release. "I'm taking executive action to hit reset on Station Street to ensure that our residents and tourists remain safe and that our local businesses are a part of a sustainable, long-term safety plan that allows our city to have a safe, thriving nightlife.
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"Protecting Chattanoogans is my No. 1 priority, and these measures are designed to be temporary. The small businesses that bring Station Street to life are a key contributor to Chattanooga's economy, and I have full confidence that, together, we can implement measures that will allow us to keep it that way while protecting public safety."
Businesses on Station Street include the Blue Light, the Comedy Catch, Regan's Place, Westbound Honky-Tonk, Boneyard, TailGate Brewery, Stir and Songbirds. Kelly met with some of the owners Thursday morning at City Hall to tell them of his decision.
According to police reports, one person was arrested after a fight broke out in front of Blue Light around 1:15 a.m. Sunday and another fight took place near the entrance of the Blue Light about a half hour later. Another person was arrested after a fight in Regan's around 1 a.m.
From May through July 2022, Chattanooga police reported 228 calls for service in the Station Street area, with most of those being related to burglar alarms (24), a suspicious person (23), a motor vehicle collision (23), suspicious activity (21) or disorder (18).
According to data from the city, there were also 38 arrests during that time period, including five related to disorderly conduct, three for public intoxication and two for driving under the influence.
Over the past weekend, the department tallied 17 calls for service and three arrests between Friday and Sunday.
Comedy Catch co-owner Michael Alfano said by phone that he is meeting with the owners to figure out what their next step might be.
"This is a tough decision for small business owners," he said.
Westbound owner Michael Hardin said he does several thousand dollars worth of business between 12:30 and 2 a.m.
Blue Light owner Brian Joyce declined to comment.
State Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga introduced a bill in December to revoke the open container allowance, also citing violence and other problems in the district.
Kelly's Chief of Staff, Joda Thongnopnua, said at a briefing with news outlets Thursday afternoon that the existing situation on Station Street was unsustainable.
"This is hitting essentially a reset on Station Street," Thongnopnua said. "We're still committed to the vision that we can have a district in our community that is open late, that residents and tourists alike can go and have fun, but we believe that has to be safe to be viable. We believe that we'll get there."
Thongnopnua added a large number of the violent incidents on Station Street occur between 1 and 3 a.m.
"We've seen dispatch records that run the gambit from all sorts of different misdemeanors but also weapons being recovered," Thongnopnua said. "Also people walking onto the street with alcohol they brought with them in their vehicles."
Chris Anderson, the director of legislative affairs in the mayor's office, will be working alongside Station Street businesses, the Chattanooga Police Department and the Hamilton County District Attorney to address issues that have contributed to the current situation.
It's been challenging to rely on the Police Department to provide the bulk of the security for that street, Thongnopnua said. Officials also want to assess the most effective means of crowd control and what the responsibilities of the bar owners should be in ensuring the street is a safe place for people to visit.
"I think that this gives some urgency to the situation," Thongnopnua said, "and by having a pause on the hours that are candidly providing a bulk of the problems for our Police Department and these local businesses, we have some breathing room and some real intense focus in coming together and solving this issue together."
Kelly is issuing the executive order according to his statutory authority under state law, which allows the mayor to declare a limited civil emergency to protect public safety, according to the release. It further states that it is effective for 15 days and will be subject to renewal on May 5 if a sustainable safety plan has not been agreed upon by law enforcement and business owners by that time. The mayor could also choose to rescind the order sooner if agreement on a safety plan is reached before May 5.
District Attorney Coty Wamp said the mayor's response is needed.
"The disorders and assaultive behavior typically happen late into the night and in the early morning hours, between 1 and 3 a.m.," Wamp said in the release. "For my office, public safety is of the utmost importance. The videos that have circulated of Station Street give me concern about what will come if we simply sit back and do nothing."
The measures included in the order are based on dispatch calls and incident response data from the Chattanooga Police Department, data that helped shape the mayor's decision in consultation with both Wamp and Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy.
"The success and safety of an entertainment district in any city, from Bourbon Street in New Orleans to Beale Street in Memphis, require close coordination and partnership between the local businesses, law enforcement agencies and policymakers," Murphy said in the release. "That's exactly what we're trying to ensure is in place here, so that the Station Street district can thrive in a way that's safe for everyone."
Staff writer David Floyd contributed to this report.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.