The late night bar issue is once again in front of the Gulf Shores City Council. City staffers may recommend denial of a request to serve alcohol until 3 a.m. at Hibas in Pelican Place. In the past, the bar has operated under guidelines hoping to curb late-night crime at the club.

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The request will come from the owners of Hibas Karaoke and Arcade Bar during a May 28 planning commission meeting at 4 p.m. in council chambers at city hall.

At the time of the city’s first crackdown on the club, it was called Cohiba Dunes and was known as a late-night gathering spot for service industry workers. The name was later changed to Hibas, but on April 1, the bar’s Facebook page announced the name was changing again to The Barefoot Bar, a name held by a bar at Gulf Place before being destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

Owners are seeking a conditional use permit approval for a lounge/bar use, and city planners are going to recommend denial.

“In both 2023 and 2024, the business license renewal was referred to the city council for review at the request of the police department due to safety issues stemming from late-night bar activities,” a memo on the meeting agenda states. “Hibas' late night lounge/bar business plan is not compatible with the goals and stated plans of the city of being a family-friendly community. Late-night lounge/bar uses negatively impact communities in a variety of ways.”

All conditional use permits, or changes from what is allowed by the zoning ordinance, must be approved by the city council.