Greenville Approves Late-Night Hours for Historic Gaslight Bar Amid Crime Crackdown

GREENVILLE, S.C. — After months of debate over downtown nightlife and public safety, the City of Greenville has voted to restore late-night hours for one of its oldest bars. The Gaslight Bar and Grill, a community staple for more than 70 years, will once again be allowed to stay open until 2 a.m. on weekends — though the permit comes with strict conditions.

Historic Bar Wins Back Its Midnight Privileges

Owner Nathan Bennett said he was overwhelmed with emotion when the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) approved the bar’s request Thursday. “I almost started crying when I was inside,” Bennett told FOX Carolina. “It’s the number one question I get asked because Gaslight has been here since 1952 — 73 years.”

When Bennett took over the bar earlier this year, he had to reapply for the city’s special exception permit to continue serving after midnight. His application arrived just as Greenville was tightening oversight of bars following a summer filled with downtown fights and disturbances.

City Officials Weigh Safety Against Nightlife

In response to the uptick in late-night incidents, Greenville formed a multi-department task force to review all 100+ existing special permits and to assess future requests.
Though the Gaslight Bar lies outside the Central Business District, planning staff initially recommended denying the request.

“We have found ourselves having to pull resources from the road — and what I mean by that is outside the Central Business District — to keep order downtown,” said Sgt. Philip Brown of the Greenville Police Department, who spoke at Thursday’s hearing.

Police data show that while overall crime in Greenville has decreased, service calls from downtown have increased sharply.

Permit Granted With Security Requirements

BZA Chair Ken Betsch acknowledged the competing concerns between nightlife and safety. “We’re having a lot of applications from folks to open their bars and restaurants from midnight until 2 a.m.,” he said. “But if we lose the youth, we’ve lost a lot of our community.”

Under the new permit, the Gaslight Bar must meet several safety conditions, including:

• Employing at least two SLED-certified security officers on weekends
• Operating after midnight only on Fridays and Saturdays

“I’m just glad that we’re going to be able to open until 2 a.m.,” Bennett said. “Downtown’s great, but there aren’t a lot of places like this that aren’t downtown.”

The Saluda Standard-Sentinel encourages readers to share their thoughts on Greenville’s evolving nightlife and how local policies impact small businesses. Join the conversation at SaludaStandard-Sentinel.com.