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Applicant withdraws liquor-store special-exception after neighborhood opposition
Summary
An application to establish a liquor store at 4505 Windsor Spring Road was withdrawn without prejudice after residents voiced safety and character concerns; the Planning Commission approved the withdrawal.
The Augusta Planning Commission accepted a withdrawal without prejudice of a petition to establish a liquor store at 4505 Windsor Spring Road after significant opposition from nearby residents.
The petition, SE225-06, sought a special exception under section 21-2(c) of the comprehensive zoning ordinance to allow a package-liquor store on a 2.03-acre B-1-zoned property. Residents raised safety concerns tied to drunk-driving incidents and said the structure adjoining an existing service station appeared to have been constructed with the intent of adding a liquor store. Lonnie Wimley, a nearby resident, told the commission, “we stand in opposition of a special exception for a liquor store at, 4505 Windsor Spring Road,” and cited recent local DUI-related fatalities to underscore public-safety concerns.
The petitioner, Shravan Kumar Raul, said the landlord approached him about using the adjoining building and that adding a liquor store was a later consideration: “This opportunity came to me about a few months ago, the landlord himself, while this was in construction. So the goal was never to put a liquor store over there.” After community speakers expressed opposition, the petitioner indicated willingness to withdraw the application, saying, “We will take our application back if that's makes them happy.” The commission then voted to accept the withdrawal without prejudice in a roll-call vote; most commissioners voted yes, with at least one recorded no vote. Staff and legal counsel confirmed that withdrawing the application at the Planning Commission level means the proposal would not proceed to the Augusta Commission for final action unless refiled.
The record shows residents asked the commission and the petitioner to consult the Board of Education and county officials about traffic classification and related site uses; staff had earlier postponed the item to await a response from the Board of Education. No formal approvals or conditions relating to a liquor store were adopted during the meeting.
