Last night 53 people participated in a presentation and
discussion about city legislation through the new proposed
zoning code to reduce the density of liquor stores in
neighborhoods and ensure that those establishments with tavern licenses
actually operate as taverns.
The
audience that gathered in John
Eager Howard
Recreation Center
in Reservoir Hill was very geographically diverse, with attendees coming from south and north of North Avenue.
Michael Snidal,
Citizens Planning & Housing
Association (CPHA) Director of Community Engagement, led the session with support
from
7th District
City Councilman Nick Mosby.
 |
| Michael Snidal of CPHA leads attendees through an understanding of the legislation |
|
If you have thought that there are an awful lot of liquor
store in city neighborhoods you would not be wrong. The standard is one liquor license for every
1,000 residents, or a total of about 625 licenses (according to the Baltimore
City Liquor Licensing Board Standard).
However, there are currently 1,330 licenses in Baltimore, about twice the number Baltimore should have.
In 1971, Baltimore
City deemed Class A
“packaged good” stores as “nonconforming uses” if they were located in residential
zoned areas. Existing stores were
allowed to stay, but no new businesses wishing to sell alcohol could establish
in those districts. The hope was that the remaining “nonconforming” stores would
close over time. Instead, many benefited from near monopoly conditions and still
exist today.
Recently,
No
Boundaries Coalition produced a map (see below) showing how many liquor
stores operate in the neighborhoods of Sandtown, Druid
Heights, Upton,
Madison, Bolton
Hill, and Reservoir Hill, as well as how many establishments offer fresh
produce.
The results were
astounding.
In our communities, you can
purchase alcohol in 53 establishments, but buy fresh produce in only four
stores or farmers markets.
For a full
view of the map,
Click
Here.
 |
| No Boundaries Coalition map showing outlets for alcohol and fresh produce |
Our neighborhoods are wonderful places to live, and they
deserve better than this.
The meeting came together because several neighborhoods in
Central West Baltimore have had issues with liquor stores in their
neighborhoods, and have experienced the same frustrations in trying to improve
some sites and eliminate others.
The
proposed ordinance in the new zoning code offers a new tool and a systemic approach
for addressing the proliferation of liquor stores in city neighborhoods.
With
Citizens
Planning & Housing Association leading a campaign to pass the
legislation and
Councilman
Nick Mosby supportive and active on the effort, a set of long-standing Central
West Baltimore partners,
Coppin
Heights CDC,
Druid Heights CDC,
No Boundaries Coalition, Penn
North Community Association, and
Reservoir
Hill Improvement Council assembled this meeting to learn more about the
legislation and how communities could help in the campaign.
 |
| 7th District Councilman Nick Mosby discusses the legislation with meeting participants |
There are three components to the legislation:
STEP 1: Phase Out of
Residential Liquor Stores License Type: Class A
There are roughly 100 nonconforming liquor stores operating
in residential areas. These are commonly
referred to as packaged good stores where alcohol is consumed off-premise only.
Under the proposed legislation, within 2 years of adoption,
nonconforming Class A licenses must end sales of alcohol or transfer their
license to a properly zoned location in a business district.
STEP 2: Compliance
with Tavern Definition License Type: Class BD
These establishments are commonly referred to as taverns. With a BD-7 liquor license, they are
permitted to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on and off-site from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week.
The new code requires that all taverns dedicate at least 50%
of their sales and floor to on-site consumption to ensure they operate as a
true tavern and not merely a packaged good store.
STEP 3: Set Distance
Standards
In the proposed zoning code, new liquor stores will not be
permitted within 300 feet of existing liquor stores with the exception of
downtown. Current law already prohibits
alcohol outlets within 300 feet of a church or school.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
An Action Alert is forthcoming that will show the various
actions individuals and organizations can take.
In the meantime, we encourage you to let your city council
representative know that you support reducing the density of liquor stores in
city neighborhoods, and ensuring that establishments with tavern licenses
operate as real taverns, not just packaged goods stores with longer hours.
 |
| Join for dinner and a beer here? Let's make tavern be real taverns, not just packaged goods stores with longer hours. |
Write a letter stating your support
To learn more about
writing a letter to your city council representative, and to get your
representatives’ contact information,
Attend a city-forum on 2 April
We recommend you
attend the below 2 April forum hosted by Citizens Planning & Housing
Association to learn more about the legislation and taking action.
Click here for the April CPHA Forum
