Competition between two nightclubs near Lindbergh City Center in south Buckhead has MARTA police officers worried traffic, noise and safety issues will continue to increase.

Lt. Twyla Locklear with the MARTA Police Department voiced her concerns to the Atlanta Neighborhood Planning Unit B’s public safety committee at its monthly meeting Tuesday before the full board meeting at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Buckhead.

She said since the opening of the Gold Room nightclub on Piedmont Road last fall across the street from Tongue and Groove nightclub, the area has seen increased pedestrian traffic at late hours.

“People are walking back and forth from the clubs,” said Ms. Locklear. “Luckily no one’s gotten hit yet.”

Parking along with the competing clubs has also led to safety concerns.

“We’ve had to add two additional officers to patrol [the city center deck] on the busy nights — Monday, Saturday and Friday,” said Ms. Locklear.

The city center deck is subleased to Tongue and Groove, so the officers are supposed to prohibit Gold Room patrons from parking in the deck, which is free of charge.

The Gold Room, however, charges $20 to $40 for valet parking and fails to have enough onsite parking, prompting its patrons to park in the deck, said Ms. Locklear. On the clubs’ busy nights, she said the parking deck can reach 70 percent capacity.

“They need more parking, but I don’t know where they’re going to get it,” she said, noting that she heard the club leased spaces from the Pep Boys Auto Store across the street.

NPU B board chair Jeff Shell pointed out that the club owners did not request this special exemption and are therefore in violation of the parking codes.

Ms. Locklear said she is also concerned about the noise level and disturbances caused by the club-goers, whom she said have tended to congregate in the parking deck after the clubs close at 3 a.m.

“The very first night the Gold Room was open, my officers arrested two individuals. They were coming from the Gold Room. A young man was sitting in his car at the MARTA station and was waving his pistol out the window,” she said.

However, she said, other than traffic stops and having to take extra precautions including blocking Lindbergh from incoming traffic after about 10 p.m., there have been no crimes committed.

“We’re really just trying to keep it from getting to the apartment complexes,” said Ms. Locklear.