Temporary flood lights, like these seen outside Atomic nightclub, are part of a local effort to improve safety on Bardstown Road.(Roberto Roldan / LPM )Bar and restaurant owners in the Highlands have reached an agreement with city officials and neighbors to stave off a potential vote to restrict alc ohol sales on Bardstown Road.The deal was announced Tuesday afternoon in a press release from Metro Council Member Ben Reno-Weber, a Democrat whose district includes the Highlands. It includes some immediate commitments — such as continuing stepped-up police and parking enforcement on the weekends — and longer-term efforts to improve nightlife safety.Reno-Weber told LPM News he thinks the agreement represents the best next step.“I love that we were able to get to a spot where the neighbors felt heard, the bar and restaurant owners felt heard and people were able to say, ‘We value one another and here’s what we’re willing to commit to,’” he said.As part of the deal, the three Highlands residents who were circulating a petition to restrict alcohol sales along a large stretch of the Bardstown Road corridor dropped that plan. They were looking to force a ballot referendum that, if approved, would require any business selling alcohol to have 70% of their sales be from food.Members of the Louisville Hospitality Association, as well as some restaurant owners in the Highlands, argued the move would be economically devastating, potentially forcing 25 businesses to close.Reno-Weber said the biggest part of the agreement is “converting the work of the Summer Task Force into a permanent deployment of resources.” The task force was formed in April to address fights, unruly crowds and street takeovers along Bardstown Road, videos of which went viral on social media. It’s a partnership between Louisville Metro Police, business owners and other Metro departments.Once Mayor Craig Greenberg’s administration agreed to keep that higher level of enforcement past the summer, “People really felt like, ‘Oh, great! My concerns are being heard and acted upon,’” Reno-Weber said.Some of the other immediate commitments in the agreement are:City officials will encourage the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to consider public sentiment when issuing or and renewing licenses to sell alcohol until 4 a.m., especially where the applicant has a history of noncompliance and/or critical incidentsReno-Weber will create a designated council fund in District 8 dedicated to safety investments along Bardstown RoadBusiness owners and residents will continue to work with ABC officers to proactively address problem bars and restaurantsNeighbors will drop the ‘moist’ petitions immediately and not submit signatures for any ballot initiative in 2026In the longer term, the Louisville Hospitality Association has agreed to partner with ABC on a continuing education program for all bars and restaurants around “de-escalation, safety, and the role of the establishments in creating and preserving public safety.”Louisville Metro will also hold neighborhood meetings to develop a long-term strategic plan for the Highlands, similar to other neighborhood plans the city has adopted.Sean Vandevander, a spokesperson for the Louisville Hospitality Association, said in a written statement Tuesday that the organization is committed to the next phase of this work.“We have long been an advocate for focused enforcement efforts, limiting density, clear regulations, and targeting bad actors while supporting the great restaurant and bar partners that make our city a great place to live and a destination for tourists from all over the world,” Vandevander said.The three Highlands residents who were leading the “moist” petition efforts — Stephen Reily, Greg Johnston and Jen Belden — also released a joint statement.“Highlands neighbors who filed requests to circulate “wet-moist” petitions in three precincts represented a broad range of voices with a shared goal to ensure that residential voices are heard in shaping a future for Bardstown Road that serves all: a diverse range of business, visitors, and neighbors,” the residents said.They said, based on the commitments in the agreement, they feel that residents’ voices are now being heard. ...read more read less