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Commission considers ordinance to lift limits on liquor and package stores
Summary
A commissioner introduced an ordinance that would remove numerical limits on the number and location of liquor/package stores in the city and county after staff review of a prior lawsuit; codes and zoning staff drafted the ordinance for consideration.
Commissioner Thomas introduced an ordinance at the work session to eliminate the county's numerical limit on liquor and package stores and allow placement in the city and county without the current cap. Thomas said a businessman had asked about opening a package store and staff discovered an old law limiting two liquor stores in the city; a past lawsuit, which the speaker said the plaintiff won, led to a store near Roddy's Market.
"It just takes any of the limits off of the number of liquor stores and whether it can be in the city or in the county," Commissioner Thomas said, describing the draft ordinance (Ord. 3372025-24). Thomas said codes and zoning staff prepared the ordinance after consulting legal materials and recommended the change as the simplest path.
Why it matters: lifting a numerical cap could change market entry for liquor/package stores across the city and county and affect local business licensing and land-use considerations.
No final action was recorded at the work session. The ordinance was introduced for consideration and questions; staff and the county's legal adviser were said to have been consulted during drafting.
Less-critical details: the discussion referenced a prior lawsuit that led to a store near Roddy's Market; no detailed legal citation was provided during the session.
