The south campus portion of High Street was once known for its massive strip of alcohol-infused nightlife, but this aspect of the area gradually began to disappear throughout the past decade making way for the University Gateway Center and leaving the question of what became of the scores of liquor permits held there.

In the 1600 block of North High Street, one time the center of the strip, just one permit remains, at 1603 N. High St., which was once Cornerstone.

Only three active permits remain in the 1500 block, belonging to the owners of The Spot Bar (1560 N. High St.), Panini’s Bar and Grill (1561-5 N. High St.), and 7-11 (1551 N. High St.), said Matt Mullins, spokesman for the Ohio Division of Liquor Control.

Business owners, who held permits and lost their buildings to redevelopment, faced several options: Apply for the transfer of ownership and location, cancel the permit, move the permit to another business or put the permit in safekeeping.

The permits of Cornerstone, The Spot Bar and Panini’s are in safekeeping and will remain there until early next year when their safekeeping period expires.

A permit can be in safekeeping for one year and can be allowed no more than one renewal of one year. If the permit holder cannot find a buyer or relocate the permit, then the permit is canceled.

Campus Partners offered businesses compensation for relocation and moving, where they would be able to apply to transfer their permits if desired.

Mullins said that with most of the locations in south campus, the permits changed hands several times in the past decade making it difficult to determine exactly how many permits existed at a given time. From 1990 through this year, the number of different permits and owners could be as high as the hundreds.

Panini’s location changed ownership four times in the past ten years. The Spot Bar location changed three times over the same period. The 7-11 has had four owners since the late ’80s.

Ed Garnahan, who owned The Spot Bar, is unsure what he will do with his permit, if anything.

“People think it’s easy money, but it’s high risk,” Garnahan said.

Owners don’t realize the amount of liability that comes with a permit, particularly with a bar or nightclub, he said.

Many other permits from the area moved in different directions. Some of the businesses relocated nearby, having their liquor permits transferred to new locations. Skully’s moved to the Short North, and Apollo’s went just a few blocks north on High Street. Ohio State Pizza and Deli went to Hudson Street, and Cluck-U Chicken headed to Clintonville. Other businesses are still in the process of relocating or have decided to cancel their permits and enter into other ventures.

“It takes a long time to do things with a license,” Garnahan said. It can take years to find a building, find a landlord willing to house a bar, renovate it if needed, attain a permit and set up business.

The number of permits in the city has a set limit depending on population and statute. The city of Columbus has 4,333 permits issued as of March 31. However, most businesses hold multiple permits, so the number of permits holders, 1,701, more accurately describes the number of businesses that sell alcohol.

Permits are grouped in different classes from D-1, a basic permit, to a D-5, which is the full privilege permits usually reserved for nightclubs. There can be a total of 356 D-5 permits for the taxing district of Columbus, which is about one for every 2,000 people. As of March 31 there were 347. Permits come with fees that range from anywhere between $20 and $3,000.

The city can be over the quota for a variety of reasons such as annexation, population decreases, and economic development projects.

Permits also could have been lost due to code violations, Mullins said.

The number of active permits in the south campus area of High Street is expected to increase with the Gateway Project, but it will be some time before that number is determined. The project will emphasize the entertainment aspect of the area, but will also be mixed with retail, said Steve Sterrett, spokesman for Campus Partners.

Efforts to attract businesses to Gateway will kick off later this month, he said. The project is expected to be complete by August 2005.