Divided Council OKs Rules for New Liquor Stores

A divided City Council on Monday adopted strict standards for new liquor stores.

Eighteen new regulations, many of them suggested by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, can now be applied at the discretion of the Planning Commission when it grants conditional use permits to new businesses.

Among the new options for city planners:

* Limit sales to beer and wine.

* Ban sales of single bottles or cans of beer.

* Ban sales of wine in bottles smaller than 750 milliliters.

* Prohibit beer and wine from being sold from an ice chest.

* Require businesses to prevent loitering in front of their stores.

* Program pay phones outside of new stores so they cannot accept incoming calls.

* Require owners to remove graffiti within 48 hours.

Councilwoman Heather K. Somers said the regulations were aimed at prevention of sales to minors and of crime typically associated with liquor stores--an unreasonable drain on police services.

“Basically, it’s to keep liquor stores operating as cleanly as possible,” she said.

Officials approved the new standards on a 3-2 vote. Somers and council members Joe Erickson and Libby Cowan voted in favor, while Mayor Peter Buffa and Councilman Gary Monahan dissented.

Monahan said that he agrees with some of the standards, but that others go too far and would ban many specialty items sold in liquor stores and prevent customers from buying small amounts of alcohol.

“If somebody just wanted a couple of wine coolers they would have to buy a six-pack,” he said. “We are getting into the management of these businesses, and I think it’s overkill.”