Liquor Front

[~Rumormonger~]

Recent discussions about the ordinance governing the distance between
liquor stores and parks, churches, etc, have raised questions about what
conditions are appropriate within urban areas.

Please join us on Thursday, July 6 at 5 p.m. to discuss these issues.
This meeting will be led by the City's policy development department in
conjunction with Vice Mayor Mark Brown, Councilman Joe Hultquist and
Councilman Chris Woodhull.

Representatives from City Council, City departments, CBID and MPC will
attend to put the existing ordinance in its historical context and to
facilitate discussion about what terms are appropriate in downtown
Knoxville today and for our future.

This meeting will be held at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S
Gay Street. Free parking is available at the State Street, Locust
Street and Market Square Garages

[~Rumormonger~]

http://www.stockcargifts.com/images/miss/bump-n-run-cover.jpg

[~Rumormonger~]

http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ok/kay/tombstones/bump_miloflorence.jpg

[~Rumormonger~]

The City's take (http://www.cityofknoxville.org/policy/liquorordinance.asp).

[ernie]

The City's take (http://www.cityofknoxville.org/policy/liquorordinance.asp).

That's the discussion I remember. I don't understand the comments by some (primarily on k2k) that there is no chance of amending the ordinance. Seems to me that there is a pretty good chance of an amendment to remove all restrictions in the CBID except for the church restrictions and the 1000' seperation requirement.

(Ugh. That is poorly written. But I want to go home and have a drink...so screw it.)

[knoxprogressive]

This meeting was obviously a farce. Too few people still make the decisions in this town. Nothing has changed.

[ernie]

This meeting was obviously a farce. Too few people still make the decisions in this town. Nothing has changed.

I appreciate the way you marshalled and presented your solidly documented evidence to support your carefully tempered conclusion. Makes it hard to disagree with your well-reasoned argument.

[Michael]

This meeting was obviously a farce. Too few people still make the decisions in this town. Nothing has changed.

Were you there?
~m.

[Hildegard]

This meeting was obviously a farce. Too few people still make the decisions in this town. Nothing has changed.

Shake not thy gory locks at me....

[jack bauer]

KnoxProgessive. Do you really think this meeting and so many others would have happened with the last mayor not to mention announced all over the place and open and then reported on the web. In the past week or so we have design guidelines, homeless area, and this. Just curious.

[binR Bishop]

The summary from the meeting regarding the location of liquor stores
in the Central Business Improvement District are on the City's web
site at:

http://www.cityofknoxville.org/policy/liquorordinance.asp (http://www.cityofknoxville.org/policy/liquorordinance.asp)

Liquor Store Ordinance Meeting
July 6, 2006
Summary

This meeting was held at the East Tennessee History Center. The City
of Knoxville's Policy Development Department ran the meeting at the
request of and with input from City Council members Mark Brown, Joe
Hultquist and Chris Woodhull. The notes and suggestions for possible
action below are those of Bill Lyons and Jill Van Beke of the Policy
Development Department. Over 30 people attended, including six Council
members. As we receive comments from interested parties either present
or not present at the meeting, the City will post those opinions as well.

The intent of the meeting was to explore whether there was good reason
to consider the CBID a special case in need of specific reference by
the City in its regulation of the retail sale of liquor for
consumption off premises. There seemed to be consensus (though not
total agreement) for amending Section 4-131 of the City Code as it
applies to the distance of liquor stores to various land uses within
the CBID. The strongest opposition to any change came from KPD
officers speaking as individuals. Their opposition was based on a fear
that any change that made it easier to operate a liquor store within
the CBID could lead to increased opportunities for the homeless
population to purchase intoxicants.

There was overwhelming sentiment among downtown residents and business
people that downtown would benefit from a liquor outlet. Nobody at the
meeting expressed any concern about a liquor store's distance from a
park downtown. Some pointed out that already people could consume
alcoholic beverages at establishments very close to downtown parks.

Both the proponents' and the opponents' comments reflected a belief
that the CBID is unique, because of density on one hand and proximity
to the homeless population on the other.

The business owners and residents also noted that there had been no
propensity to-date for any liquor outlet to serve a customer base that
might include the homeless. It was also noted that market forces and
the evolving nature of downtown would mitigate strongly against the
chances of such an outcome.

As the code currently reads, no retail liquor store shall be within
500 feet, as measured from property line to property line, of any
church, school, park, recreational facility, hospital, mortuary or
other similar public place or within a residentially zoned area, or
with in 1000 feet of any other liquor store, as measured from property
line to property line.

Those wishing to ease restrictions made a number of suggestions. It
was suggested that the criteria for liquor store locations be changed
in the CBID to reflect the requirements for restaurant locations
serving alcohol, which was stated at the meeting to be 300 feet from
any church, hospital or school. After researching the existing
restaurant ordinance, it has been learned that (1) the 300 foot
distance applies for a beer permit, and the distance does not apply if
the restaurant has received a state license for sale of liquor by the
drink and (2) that the 300 foot distance is not applicable in the area
generally defined by the current CBID boundaries. (Section 4-66,
1962.) There was no consensus that the church distances be changed
although some did suggest that such an idea be explored. Nor was there
any strong suggestion that the 1000 ft distance between stores be
adjusted.

Implications for Possible Changes

It was clear from the maps displayed at the meeting that reducing the
distance from parks to either 400 feet or to 300 feet or beyond would
not make an enormous difference in available locations given the
constraints that already exist when the 500 feet church distance is
considered. The existing beer permit distances do not apply in the
CBID because there is a CBID exception in place within the beer
ordinance. It would appear that the simplest course of action would be
to create a like exception for the CBID in Section 4-131. This
exception could either remove the reference to parks or reduce the
distance requirement. The major objections raised at the meeting had
to do with the existence of a store in the downtown area rather than
its specific location. If it is agreed that the presence of a liquor
store is appropriate, then any change to the ordinance should allow
for the most optimal locations for a top-quality business. The
requirement that 1000 feet remain between the stores will sufficiently
limit the total number of liquor stores. Thus, the most efficient and
clearest way to change the ordinance, if it is to be changed, would be
to eliminate the distance requirements from parks within the CBID only
while leaving all other elements of the ordinance as they are.

Another point to worth considering is that there are locations that
qualify even with no change to the ordinance. However, an ordinance
change would open up areas that could support the high-end retail
opportunities whose décor and price points would serve to counter some
of the homeless-related concerns expressed at the meeting. With such a
store, the 1000-foot requirement for between liquor stores would
reduce the opportunities for other stores that might target the lower
end of the market.

[Hayduke]

Here's what Victoria, the capitol of British Columbia, does with churches and liquor stores:

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i181/GHayduke/church-liquor.jpg

Didn't see any significant signs of moral turpitude resulting from it. Still trying to figure out how a city with half the population of Knoxville (city only and MSA) is a real with block after block of shops, restaurants and cafes. A lot of it has to be the tourist bucks, but move a few blocks north from the harbor Piccadilly Circus shtick and it seems to be mostly locals. Maybe it's the easy access to liquor stores.