Council committee narrows liquor-store rules; removes restaurants from new restrictions

The Land Use & Zoning Committee on May 20 approved ordinance 2025-0255 to tighten city regulation of packaged liquor stores in commercial districts. The ordinance removes packaged liquor stores as a permitted use in the CCG2 district so they would require a zoning exception, increases the minimum distance between a packaged-liquor location and a church or school from 500 feet to 1,500 feet, and leaves in place Department-proposed language removing an original 3,500-foot separation requirement between two packaged-liquor locations.

The ordinance also creates a public hearing opportunity: under the change, establishments seeking approval for off-premises liquor sales within the affected zoning districts will require a zoning exception and thus community review. The Planning Department told the committee that existing packaged liquor stores are grandfathered; if ownership changes or a store relocates, the business would need to seek a new zoning exception or a waiver of liquor distance.

Councilwoman Jacoby Pittman, who sponsored the legislation, described complaints from residents in her district about clusters of packaged-liquor stores on north-side corridors and said the change is intended to give the City more tools to assess community impacts. “My residents don’t want it,” she said. Councilman Reggie Gaffney Jr., a co-introducer, said the density of small packaged stores has reduced quality of life in parts of north Jacksonville.

Committee members debated whether the distance requirements would also affect restaurants that sell sealed “to-go” alcoholic beverages following a 2021 state change. Planning staff explained that the bill’s intent is to regulate packaged-liquor retailers (off-premises consumption licenses) and that restaurants holding certain restaurant liquor licenses are treated differently under state law; the committee adopted an amendment excluding restaurants from the new distance/exception requirements. The committee also amended the language to ensure the exclusion applied to the relevant subsections of the zoning code.

After amendments, the committee voted 7–0 to approve the ordinance as amended. Planning staff and the Planning Commission had supported the changes with the department’s recommended deletion of the 3,500-foot spacing provision. The committee’s action requires zoning exceptions for new packaged-liquor uses in CCG2 and raises the church/school buffer to 1,500 feet, while allowing waiver processes to remain in place.

What changed in committee: the committee removed restaurants (COP-designation licenses) from the new distance and exception requirements and eliminated the 3,500-foot separation requirement between packaged stores per staff recommendation.

Effect on existing businesses: Existing stores are grandfathered but new ownership or location changes will require a zoning exception or waiver review; the state’s quota and distance rules for liquor licensing remain in effect.