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Raleigh City Council members want Glenwood South to change.
Council member Jane Harrison — who represents the district — said despite the area’s reputation as a nightlife hub, it’s more than bars. There are a diverse array of businesses and dense residential areas along the avenue.
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But, “we also have vape shops, dispensaries, late night hookah and bars that I wish didn’t exist,” she said in a council work session on Tuesday.
Harrison wants to shift the district’s focus.
“I don’t want us to be known as the party destination for all of eastern North Carolina; I don’t think it helps Raleigh,” she said.
Glenwood South also requires a more intense police presence, which takes resources away from other areas, Harrison added.
While the council is limited in its ability to regulate the area’s nightlife, Raleigh’s planning staff is preparing a series of changes to city zoning rules that could help reduce the concentration of nightlife businesses over time.
Planning Director Pat Young, outlined a number of long-term measures the city can take, including buffers and setbacks that require certain space between businesses or between a business and a residential area.
That could force a lower concentration of businesses in the area, as they would have less space in which to operate in.
But zoning in North Carolina has limitations, including that new rules can’t affect existing businesses, Young said.
New standards are applicable to new “uses” under city code. That means if a bar took over a building that another bar had occupied, it would be the same use, for example. For new zoning regulation to apply, the owner would have to apply to change the permitted use or zoning with the city.
“The impacts would take many years to see fruit because of the length [of time] it takes businesses to turn over and change uses,” Young said.
The city might also consider requiring a “special-use” permit for certain uses in the area.
A special-use permit can only be granted by the city’s Board of Adjustment, whose members are appointed by the City Council. They would enter a “quasi-judicial” proceeding — like a court of law — with fact finding and opportunities to present evidence on whether the use should be allowed.
That’s the same process data centers currently face in Raleigh.
Young also outlined how city zoning could start mandating certain hours of operation for certain uses and limit events held in an area, though those measures would also apply only to new businesses.
He said the council could create a special zoning overlay for Glenwood South so any changes wouldn’t affect the rest of the city.
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Young added that the city is still working on the regulation options for the council to consider. Those are months away.
Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce said he wants to encourage bar owners to install metal detectors outside their businesses.
The city is investigating how it could provide incentives for businesses to get metal detectors, a city attorney said.
Boyce pointed to a recent shooting inside a nightclub on Fayetteville Street as a reason why businesses should have them.
But Dan Lovenheim, who owns several bars on Glenwood, told The News & Observer in an interview over the summer that metal detectors are not the answer.
Most crime in the area happens outside of bars, he said.
And he added that metal detectors hurt business.
“It’s akin to putting bars on the windows of a gas station in a nice neighborhood,” he said.
Raleigh police have increased patrols in the parking decks, where Boyce said much of the crime in the area happens. Police have arrested numerous people for weapons and drug violations in the area.
Police also employ two utility terrain vehicles (i.e. a John Deere Gator or a Polaris Ranger) and horse-mounted police in the area during the weekends, he said.
Police also have live-feed cameras in the area, Boyce said. Those do not record footage, he said.
The city is also considering new traffic signals and pedestrian safety measures in the area.
The city has tried to regulate the area in the past.
In 2025, a Wake County judge struck down a city rule that required businesses open past 11 p.m serving alcohol to get a nightlife permit. The law wasn’t enforceable under state law, the judge said, though the city is appealing that decision.
Raleigh doesn’t have direct control over liquor licenses, either. The N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Commission issues liquor licenses in the state.
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