[media-credit name=’BRYAN FAUST/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]With more than 50 newly founded liquor licenses available to business owners, the Alcohol License Review Committee was able to grant the sale of alcohol and beer to new businesses in a meeting Wednesday night. The committee also made a decision to allow the second floor of State Street Brats to remain open until bar time.

When State Street Brats came before the ARLC in 1997 to request a second-story addition to its building, the ARLC granted the request but placed a restriction on the new floor. A decision required the bar to close the upstairs one half hour before closing time, forcing people on the second floor to vacate out the fire exit onto North Frances Street instead of returning to the main floor until bar time.

“This regulation was put into place on a wait-and-see basis,” Kelly Meuer, the owner of State Street Brats, said. “There have been no problems upstairs — it just creates friction.”

Problems arose with the regulation when people refused to leave the bar through the fire exit, or after exiting patrons tried to reenter through the front door, creating capacity issues.

“This was clearly an unintended consequence of congestion,” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said.

Capt. Jay Lengfeld of the Madison Police Department said this issue has led to police frequenting State Street Brats far more often than necessary.

“There have been too many issues with capacity,” Lengfeld said. “Either they need to exit through North Frances Street and stay out, or both floors need to close at the same time.”

At the request of Meuer, the committee finally approved the proposal to allow both floors of the establishment to close at the same time. Verveer said he approved of the decision and believes Meuer manages his business well.

“[Meuer] runs one of the most popular bars on campus — he is a victim of popularity,” Verveer said. “This makes it easier on the bar, the patrons and the cops.”

State Street Brats was rated fourth in the “Top 10 Perfect College Sports Bars” by Sports Illustrated On Campus and is nationally known.

Meuer was not the only business owner who left the City County building happy Wednesday, as the tension was lifted for seekers of Class B combination liquor licenses, which grant businesses the ability to sell both liquor and beer.

In 1997, the ALRC determined that liquor licenses could only be granted to single addresses, creating anxiety for business owners wishing to expand to additional locations without licenses or new business owners applying for the first time.

Assistant City Attorney Jennifer Zilavy researched and found any eligible business at any eligible address can be granted licenses, which made 57 more licenses available.

“It definitely is a wonderful relief and gives us a breather,” Verveer said. “For a couple months now, we were very concerned that this would have a very negative effect on economic development and prevent nightclubs and taverns from opening.”

The meeting room was filled Wednesday with applicants attempting to get licenses for existing, expanding or new businesses, taverns and restaurants. Some approved businesses included a new restaurant, The Old Fashioned, 23 N. Pinckney St., whose owners also run Harvest on 21 N. Pinckney St. Bella Vita, a wine bar that will be opening soon on the East Side, was also approved for a combination liquor license.