Cherokee County staff propose alcohol ordinance and zoning-definition updates; county-sponsored park events likely exempt from park alcohol prohibition

County planning staff presented proposed updates to Cherokee County’s alcohol ordinance and corresponding zoning definitions at the March 18 work session, citing a need to align local language with state law and to close definitions gaps for new business types.

Planner (identified in the transcript as Ms. Spade) described the primary changes as: adding an “alcohol beverage caterer” provision (local rules at Section 6-156 to permit licensed retail dealers or restaurants to transport and sell authorized alcoholic beverages off-premises at catered events); defining “convenience store” and “general merchandise store” by gross floor area (10,000 square feet threshold and a 15% limit on floor area devoted to alcohol sales); adding matching winery definitions to distinguish “farm winery” from a “non-farm (regular) winery”; and clarifying manufacturer, retailer, packaged liquor store and wholesale definitions to match state statute language.

Ms. Spade said the brewery-related section (Section 6-152) will be updated to include non-farm wineries and to preserve special provisions that state law grants to brewers—such as defined annual production limits (6,000 barrels aggregate per calendar year) and per-person off-premise sale limits (288 ounces per day). She described alignment with the three-tier system exceptions in state law, and said the changes aim to reduce conflicts between the zoning ordinance and the alcohol ordinance.

Commissioners asked several clarifying questions about measurement (gross floor area versus sales), and Ms. Spade said she would make consistency edits before the public hearing that evening. On farm wineries, the chair asked for clearer wording to reflect whether a specified share of agricultural product must be produced on site; commissioners asked staff to refine that language to state precisely what is required.

Parks staff raised a separate but related question about whether county-sponsored outdoor events could allow vendors to sell beer and wine in county parks. The transcript records Recreation and Parks staff asking whether a Veterans Park jazz and arts festival—run by the department—would be covered by an exception in the county alcohol ordinance that excludes county-sponsored events from the prohibition on alcohol on county park property. County staff (Paul and the county attorney present) and at least one commissioner agreed the provision was intended to allow alcohol sales at county-sponsored events when the county sponsors the event and the vendor is authorized. The county manager said staff typically would seek advisory board approval each year as a safeguard: “we would put a safeguard in with the advisory board to make sure that they've given us a thumbs up to proceed,” Recreation and Parks staff said.

The planning staff noted that the proposed changes include other clerical edits and Article IV zoning cross-references to ensure consistent definitions across the alcohol ordinance and zoning ordinance. The planning presentation concluded with a reminder that the proposed amendments would go to a public hearing that evening.

Ending: Planning staff will revise language on the convenience/general merchandise definitions and clarify the farm-winery production requirement ahead of the public hearing; the proposed ordinance amendments will be considered by the Board at the public hearing scheduled for the same evening.