GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Falls Park in downtown Greenville is a popular hangout spot for teenagers.

"It's a beautiful place we like hanging out here," one teenager said.

Hundreds of teenagers have begun to gather in and around the park, and some business owners said the sheer number of teens is causing them problems.

"I have noticed a decrease in my business on the weekend with the large crowds," Sarah Curtis said, owner of Spill The Beans.

City leaders decided to shut down the park to minors at 9 p.m. on Saturday nights.

Now, there is talk of a citywide curfew.

"I'd like for us to look at a curfew as more protective rather than restrictive," Greenville City Councilwoman Amy Ryberg Doyle said.

Greenville City Council members met Monday night to discuss a potential curfew.

Because of the large crowds, 26 police officers patrolled the park last Saturday night.

Greenville Police Chief Terri Wilfong said the police presence helped.

"We had order; we didn't have hundreds and hundreds of kids down there unsupervised," Wilfong said.

Wilfong said they had a police officer on every corner near the park and didn't seem to have any problems. She said she hopes that parents got the message.

"They need to be parents. They need to supervise their children and not drop them off downtown unsupervised," she said.

However, some council members, including Chandra Dillard, said other options should be looked at before a curfew is put in place.

"We need to give our young people something to do," Dillard said during the meeting.

Dillard mentioned a community center possibly modeled after the Fusion Warehouse in Anderson County. Other community members sat in on the meeting too.

"I want to know what they're going to do about fall for Greenville. How congested are things then? Friday night downtown too?," said Mary Duckett, president of the Southernside Community Association. Duckett said as long as young people are obeying the laws, they have every right to be in downtown Greenville.

"It seems sometimes, depending on who it is downtown, as to whether it's a problem or not," she said.

City administrators mentioned cost as a factor in enforcing a curfew.

They are researching other city curfews around the country, including one in Columbia, to see if there's a decrease in crime.

City leaders said they will continue to close the park to minors under 18 at 9 p.m. on Saturday nights for a while. Since they implemented the park closure, there has been a decrease in crowds, they said.