Little Rock directors grant club owner’s request for 5 a.m. closing time
Little Rock now has 10 active 5 a.m. clubs after the city Board of Directors approved a request Tuesday allowing Club Trois on Asher Avenue to extend its hours.
The club’s owner, Tracy Johnson, already had acquired a state permit in 2013 allowing alcohol sales until 5 a.m., but he wasn’t successful in getting an hours extension from the city. He returned with his request Tuesday because the board has since reviewed 5 a.m. clubs and created a new set of rules governing the establishments.
Johnson’s club at 4314 Asher Ave. now can operate seven days a week from 4 p.m. to 5 a.m. after directors approved the measure in an 8-2 vote. At-large City Director Joan Adcock and Ward 6 City Director Doris Wright voted against the hours of operation change.
In a separate action Tuesday, the board also approved a $270,000 contract with Depaul USA Inc. — a nonprofit that has projects in four U.S. cities — to take over operation of the city-owned homeless day resource center on Confederate Boulevard. The nonprofit expects to close the center for a week in March to set up, then reopen under its control by the end of that month.
In another vote, the board authorized the city manager to begin negotiations with Ohio-based Advocacy and Communication Solutions LLC to develop a Youth Master Plan this year for no more than $125,000.
Both of those votes were
unanimous and made with little or no discussion. The conversation around Club Trois’ request lasted longer with several residents, including the mayor, speaking in favor of the club. Two people with a neighboring club in competition with Trois spoke against the extension.
Ward 4 City Director Brad Cazort pointed out that it was Johnson’s initial 2013 request that sparked the city’s review of its 5 a.m. clubs that led to the new rules, which mandate a certain amount of security personnel, lighting, video surveillance and no-loitering signs.
“We got here because of Mr. Johnson’s request [in 2013.] We did an investigation and put some serious rules down. He’s back now asking to play by the same rules we make everybody else with a 5 a.m. permit play with. This is not an issue of use; we’ve already approved that. It’s not an issue of days of his operation; we’ve already approved that. It’s an issue of time and, in my mind, an issue of fairness,” Cazort said.
The state no longer issues licenses to sell alcohol until 5 a.m., but the active permits in good standing can change managers. In Club Trois’ case, Johnson leases a 5 a.m. permit from the Little Rock Association of the Deaf.
In opposition to the club’s hour extension, Adcock cited issues of clubgoers walking back and forth across Asher Avenue and hanging out in the parking lots of closed businesses as a problem that hasn’t been resolved. The street has several clubs, including ones that already operate until 5 a.m.
Johnson presented a letter from the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control showing he hasn’t had any violations in his more than 20 years of operation.
Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola said after the vote that Johnson runs a fine business that other area businesses should emulate, even asking Johnson to organize a group of business owners whose establishments are located on the street and help them upgrade their businesses.