At its Tuesday night work session, the East Lansing City Council could schedule a public hearing on the matter to be held as early as Oct. 15.

The proposal recently put forward by city staff would limit the amount of people allowed in any business serving alcohol that remains open after midnight. The number of seats available in such establishments currently stands at 3,892, but the new proposal would cap that number at 3,330, effectively preventing future bars from opening unless one or more bars close.

If implemented, the measure would not affect existing businesses.

Dan Tyler, the general manager of Peppino’s Pizzeria and Sports Grille, said the new proposal “doesn’t affect [them] in any way,” primarily because their business centers around food. He said most new businesses looking to settle in East Lansing likely are not venturing into the city looking to sell alcohol.

City staff contend East Lansing’s downtown layout is problematic for police after bar hours. With the majority of the bars concentrated in one area, officials said the amount of people leaving the bars and collecting in one area is higher, making for a potentially problematic situation come closing time.

“Such a concentration … of people exiting the bars at 2 a.m. that are intoxicated .. creates more problems than what you would have [if] they were dispersed,” East Lansing Planning and Zoning Administrator Darcy Schmitt said in a previous interview with The State News.

Mayor Pro Tem Nathan Triplett recently told The State News the proposal is not a “silver bullet” solution, but indicated the proposed measure could be a step in the right direction for finding a way to increase safety.

“We’ve had an ongoing conversation about the right way to regulate bars and restaurants in East Lansing to ensure that everyone can have a good time, but that we’re also protecting public safety and peoples’ quality of life as well,” Triplett said.

The proposal also includes changes to the city’s 50/50 ordinance, a rule that states only half of a business’s profits can come from alcohol sales. Triplett said he supports a change in rules allowing certain businesses to tweak their ratios of food and alcohol depending on the nature of the establishment.

But many MSU students believe that the potential loss of new bars in East Lansing will prevent growth downtown.

Advertising senior Giavani Cairo said bars are at the heart of business in East Lansing. He said downtown bars are “always packed” and are “very beneficial for business.”

The nightlife in East Lansing also is a pressing issue for Taylor Morrison, a food science senior.

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “There’s room for positive growth in East Lansing.”

Although Morrison does not agree with the new proposal, he does not believe the change would prevent any students from stopping by the city’s existing bars.