Restaurants in older areas of the city may soon find it easier to get liquor licenses, even if they're close to residential areas.
DEENA WINTER / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Sunday, January 6, 2008 6:00 pm
Restaurants in older areas of the city may soon find it easier to get liquor licenses, even if they’re close to residential areas.
Now, restaurants can get permits to serve alcohol as long as they’re at least 100 feet from homes, day cares, churches, parks or state mental health institutions.
The Lincoln City Council is considering reducing the minimum distance between restaurants and homes from 100 feet to 25 feet, as long as the restaurant meets certain criteria.
The change is sought by 9 South Chargrill, which has been unable to get a liquor license since opening at Ninth and South streets because it’s 47 feet from homes. That has hurt business, the owners say, because customers often want a glass of wine with their steak.
Supporters of the change say loosening the law would help develop older areas of Lincoln, where there is less of a buffer between homes and businesses than in the outskirts of the city.
9 South Chargrill co-owner Brett Richardson said economic development is important in older areas of town, and they looked at other locations in the South Street area but ran into the same problem getting a liquor license, due to the proximity of sites to residences.
He got support from Michael Tavlin, chief financial officer of B&J Partnership, which owns the restaurant property. Tavlin said the city often talks about how important it is to invest in the city core, but that can be difficult due to the layout, size and dimensions of lots and their proximity to homes.
The alcohol permits would only be allowed if the restaurant meets certain criteria, such as by serving a complete menu of full-course meals; deriving 60 percent of its gross sales from food; restricting outdoors hours from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and not having gaming devices or drive-through windows.
Police Chief Tom Casady said he didn’t have a problem with the zoning change as long as it’s written to prevent situations where a place that serves “a slice of pizza and three pitchers of beer” qualifies as a restaurant.
And while Richardson was credited with running a good business, some council members worried what would happen if ownership of the restaurant changed and, for example, it became a restaurant by day and bar by night.
Councilman Jonathan Cook talked about several possible amendments that will be considered when the ordinance is voted on next week, such as requiring the sale of a meal with a drink and a 10 p.m. closing time.
Councilman Jon Camp said the ultimate goal is to make sure the changes still ensure a “nurturing” environment for neighborhoods.
A similar proposal was rebuffed by the City Council last year, but in that case no special permit would have been required.
Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.