Midland council renews Double Bar liquor permit with security requirement after review

The City Council voted 6-0 to renew the specific-use designation (SUD) allowing Double Bar at 621 West Wall Street to sell all alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption, approving the renewal as amended to require certified level-2 security personnel on the busiest nights and a council review in seven months.

Council considered the renewal after staff reported the business applied promptly when the prior SUD briefly lapsed. Planning staff told council the bar’s hours would remain Sunday–Saturday, 12 p.m.–2 a.m., and that the site meets the state requirement that no church, public school, athletic stadium or hospital lies within 300 feet of the property.

The council’s action followed staff testimony and public comment from Double Bar’s security manager and owner describing security protocols already in place. Elizabeth Triggs, planning and development officer, said the city reviewed incident reports for the block of bars on West Wall Street and found that the three establishments in that cluster generated about 64 police calls between 2024 and March 2025; Double Bar and another nearby bar had similar call volumes. Triggs also told council the new owner had reduced calls relative to prior ownership and that staff recommended renewal with two additional conditions: (1) certified peace officers on site Friday and Saturday evenings and (2) a council review in seven months to assess whether conditions should remain.

During public comment, Thomas Sawyer, who identifies himself as head of security for Double Bar, described the business’s security practices and certifications for his staff and emphasized an approach focused on de-escalation. Owner Carlyn Smith said Double Bar has provided security every weekend since opening, offers free Uber rides for patrons judged too intoxicated to drive, and has spent roughly $35,000 on security measures since opening in mid‑2023. Smith said the business had voluntarily closed after the city notified it of the expired SUD and had cooperated with city staff to reapply.

Several council members expressed concern about relying solely on civilian security, the cost to small businesses of hiring off‑duty peace officers and the fairness of imposing different conditions across nearby establishments. Council members moved to amend staff’s recommended condition from “two certified peace officers” to “certified level‑2 security personnel by the State of Texas” on the busiest nights, and the amendment passed 6-0. After that change, council approved the SUD renewal 6-0 as amended. The council also retained the staff-recommended seven‑month review to allow further adjustment if data show the conditions are ineffective.

The renewal reinstates the business’s permission to sell alcohol on-premises under the updated conditions. The city’s planning staff will return to council in seven months with an update on compliance and incident trends.

A handful of council members framed the amendment as a compromise intended to balance community safety and the economic viability of small businesses that cannot absorb the higher hourly cost of hiring off‑duty peace officers.

Ending: The SUD renewal restores Double Bar’s authorization to sell alcohol on site while creating a time-limited compliance check and placing new training/certification requirements on security staff. The council’s seven-month review gives the city a formal checkpoint to revisit conditions based on updated incident data.