Council grants Fairway full off‑sale liquor license; Casey’s permitted malt beverage and South Dakota farm wine

The Brandon City Council on a roll‑call vote approved Fairway’s application for the city’s available full off‑sale liquor license and separately approved an off‑sale malt beverage and South Dakota farm wine license for Casey’s, which is expected to open in the next month.

Council members said only one full off‑sale license was available; the city received two timely applications. After public comment from both applicants and discussion of immediate local need versus longer‑term business plans, the council voted to award the single full off‑sale license to Fairway and to allow Casey’s to operate with a malt beverage and farm wine license in the meantime.

Fairway representative Coby Pritchard said the company closed on a new River Park site in the Van Buskirk subdivision and expects to submit a site plan as soon as regulatory confirmations are complete. Pritchard told the council Fairway’s planned store would sit on roughly 2.8 acres with about 21,000 square feet of interior floor space and employ “roughly 10 to 20 full time, anywhere between 40 to 70 part time” staff. He estimated a build timeline of about 9 to 10 months from groundbreaking, with a target opening of late 2026 to early 2027.

Casey’s district manager, Martin Tozer, said Casey’s is preparing to open the Aspen Boulevard location in about 30 days and expects to employ about 12 to 18 people there with hours likely starting at about 5 a.m. and closing between 10 and 11 p.m. Tozer’s team said Casey’s currently holds a full liquor license at its existing Brandon location and could transfer that license to a new site but that transfer decisions would be made by corporate staff in Ankeny, Iowa.

Council discussion highlighted competing points: several councilors noted Casey’s imminent opening and immediate local access to liquor sales, while others emphasized Fairway filed first and the company’s planned full offering; Fairway representatives said having the full license in place was necessary before submitting a site plan and committing further development funds.

Staff explained that another full off‑sale license becomes available only on an uneven census cycle (cited as potentially 2026 or 2028) and that the city could also sell/transfer an existing off‑sale license (for example, the golf course license) through a public surplus/bid process. City staff described the surplus/bid process as a public advertisement for two weeks, then public bids; staff cautioned that the city would need to determine whether to accept a high bid or use a sealed bid process and noted there may be statutory procedures that apply.

On the Fairway motion, Council conducted a roll‑call vote. Councilor Fish — Aye; Councilor Johnson — Aye; Councilor Cole — Aye; Councilor Lawrence — Aye; Councilor Marceau — Aye; Councilor Steen — Aye. The motion passed.

On the related item for Casey’s, because the city had no available full off‑sale licenses, staff recommended and the council approved a separate off‑sale malt beverage and South Dakota farm wine license so that Casey’s can sell malt beverages and farm wine at its new location while a full liquor license option is pursued later. That approval passed by voice vote.

Council also discussed options for making another full off‑sale license available, including selling the golf course’s off‑sale license via public bid. Staff quoted a current valuation formula in the discussion that referenced a number presented as $5,055,524 but said the city would set a minimum and run a public bid process if it chose to surplus the license.

What this means: Fairway holds the city’s available full off‑sale license and may proceed with its site‑plan submission and development steps as it works toward a late‑2026/early‑2027 opening; Casey’s will open its Aspen Boulevard store with malt beverage and farm wine authority while the full off‑sale license count remains unavailable.