The McDuffie County Commission voted Tuesday night to rezone Jay's Cafe -- formerly known as the T & W Lounge -- but the decision wasn't what the club owners had hoped for.
The club was given a C1 zoning which allows for commercial use and alcohol sales but does not allow for consumption on the premises. Owners had asked for the property to be zoned C2 which would then allow them to apply for an alcohol license.
Two murders took place on the property in the span of a decade. The club's neighborhood surroundings on Viola Avery Street led the planning board to recommend to the commission that the rezoning request be denied.
"I don't have a problem with (the rezoning) as long as they don't sell alcohol," said Planning Board Member Jimmy Poston.
The club's owners deny that the club was closed for a year which ended their grandfather status in regards to zoning.
Part-owner Freddie Taylor would not comment to the media after the meeting.
