After more than a year, city officials uphold denial of Louisville bar's liquor license

Baxter's 942 in the Highlands has been temporarily closed for about a year and a half after Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control denied its liquor license renewal request in October 2024.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville bar may not get its liquor license back after more than a year of waiting.

Baxter's 942 in the Highlands has been temporarily closed for about a year and a half after Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control denied its liquor license renewal request.

In denying the bar's request in October 2024, Metro ABC cited a pattern of violence in the area after two shootings happened outside the business on Bardstown Road. Metro ABC Director Brad Silveria said at the time the decision to deny the renewal was based on recent violence and complaints from neighboring businesses and residents.

The state ruled in favor of the bar April 8, 2025, recommending ABC reissue the bar its license. The city had 15 days after that date to file exceptions, then the full ABC state board would make a final decision. In its ruling, the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet ruled Silveria "abused his discretion when he erroneously, unreasonably, and arbitrarily denied" the bar's liquor license renewal.

But several months later, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg's Office said the state ABC Board had issued a "Partial Final Order in the matter." The mayor said the order affirms "key aspects of the city's authority to consider public safety and community feedback in license renewal decisions, while remanding the case to correct a procedural error regarding the legal standard applied during the hearing."

Greenberg's office said at the time that while the state ABC agreed the concerns Silveria pointed out were valid factors, "it found that the hearing officer applied the wrong legal standard by placing the burden of proof on the city instead of the applicant."

State law requires applicants to "demonstrate their eligibility for license renewal," Greenberg's administration said at the time, thus sending the case back to the hearing officer to further review it "under the correct legal standard."

Monday, Greenberg and Louisville Metro ABC issued a recommended order affirming the decision to deny the bar's liquor license renewal.

"Protecting public safety is my administration's No. 1 priority, and we will not tolerate conditions that contribute to violence or jeopardize our community's safety in any neighborhood in Louisville," Greenberg said in a statement. "We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to make Louisville safer."

Monday's recommendation concludes that the city "acted within its lawful discretion and that the applicant failed to meet its burden of proof."

The mayor's office cited "multiple violent incidents in the immediate vicinity of the establishment" in 2024, including shootings "that resulted in loss of life, along with a pattern of elevated police activity and significant community concern."

Other factors included "higher-than-average police calls for service compared to similar businesses; documented public safety concerns and neighborhood impact; community input reflecting fear, disruption, and declining quality of life."

At the time of the bar's liquor license renewal denial, Baxter's 942 owner Kevin Strnatka called the denial "insulting," and said his business was not involved in any violence. Frank Mascagni, the bar's attorney, argued the business was being unfairly targeted and singled out for crimes that occurred outside of its premises.

Greenberg's office said local ABC administrators have "broad discretion to deny license renewals when doing so is in the public interest" under Kentucky law.

"The responsibility of our agency is to act when circumstances demand it," Silveria said Monday in a news release. "When lives are at risk, inaction is not an option. Public safety is not negotiable, and this decision reflects that commitment."

The recommended order will now go to the Kentucky Alcoholic Beverage Board to review the findings and issue a final decision.

"We are confident the state ABC Board shares that commitment to protecting the public as it considers this recommendation," Silveria said.

Councilman Ben Reno-Weber, who represents the area, called the recommendation "a victory for Bardstown Road and the Highlands."

"But more than that, it is a victory for neighborhoods everywhere whose input, data, and engagement has been validated as important to what is tolerated and not tolerated in a neighborhood," Reno-Weber said Monday in a news release.

In a statement, Strnatka said the bar will continue to fight.

"The decision is not final until approved by the Kentucky ABC board. Our attorney will file our exceptions and present them to the board," he said. "If still unsuccessful, we will file an appeal in the Jefferson County Circuit Court."