In an effort to reduce late-night crime, City Council on Wednesday approved the creation of a “planned developent district” on Lower Greenville between Belmont and Bryan.
The new zoning requires business owners to apply for a special use permit if they want to stay open later than midnight. The strip of bars and restaurants has been a hotbed of violence. Last year, there were four murders and 14 rapes in the Lower Greenville area. Proponents of the plan say the PD will help reduce crime between midnight and 3 a.m. when violence spikes in the area.
The new zoning also is part of a plan to spruce up that portion of Lower Greenville with improved walkways and a trailer court for food trucks.
Neighbors opposed the PD say it’s not fair for businesses to compete with bars and restaurants north of Belmont, which won’t be required to get special use permits. They also say it’s unfair for those businesses to pay an $1,100 fee every two years — a fee those a few blocks away won’t have to pay to stay open past midnight.
