Photo by LaTur

The fight over extending hours for D.C. bars and liquor stores heated up yesterday as civic activists complained at a D.C. Council hearing of the potential of increased noise, crime and drunken driving.

Reported the Post from the hearing:

“Later closing hours will exacerbate problems that already exist in Glover Park,” said Jackie Blumenthal, vice-chairman of the ANC3B, which includes Glover Park and Cathedral Heights. “Nearly half of the businesses in our local commercial center have liquor licenses and they are a popular late-night destination for young singles…Residents are frequently awakened in the middle of the night by loud, inebriated people.”

On Sunday, a Ward 1 ANC commissioner came out against the idea, noting that later hours for bars and earlier openings for liquor stores would make people drink more heavily. Opponents have a powerful ally in Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), who chairs the committee that will decide whether the proposal—made as part of Mayor Vince Gray’s 2013 budget—moves forward or not.

Representatives from D.C. bars and the restaurant lobby restated their support for the idea, which would allow alcohol to be sold at bars and restaurants until 3 a.m. on weekdays and 4 a.m. on weekends, an hour later than currently permitted. To them, extended hours would offer the city more money—$5.3 million a year, according to Gray—while spreading out when people leave bars and clubs after a night out.

A compromise is still possible, though. Graham floated the idea of creating an application process for bars that want to stay open later, and limiting it to those that don’t face substantial community opposition. If he chooses instead to scrap the entire proposal, he’ll have to find other cuts or revenue sources to make up for the money that the extended hours are expected to bring in.