A zoning variance request from a proposed liquor package store in Villa Rica will return to the City Council for a public hearing after staff recommended denial and detailed multiple deviations from the approved plans.

Sean Myers, planning and zoning administrator, said the applicant asked to reduce the requirement that liquor package stores be faced in brick on all sides to permit a fiber-cement architectural panel on a section of the front facade. Rebecca Carter, interim director for community development, told the council that “all 4 of the liquor stores that you all approved for presumptive licenses earlier this year are required to have that 4 size brick.”

Staff flagged several problems: the project retrofits an existing strip-center building and removed interior partitions to create a single building; the work on site differs from the submitted permit and renderings; and building inspections required for the permitted plan were not called in. Deputy Director of Building Development Nick Griffin said staff issued a stop-work order after finding that a new structural entrance had been built without required footing inspections and without documentation the existing sidewalk and supports would carry the proposed loads. City staff met with the developer and the builder and required engineering reports before allowing further structural work.

If the council denies the variance, staff said the owner must complete the full-brick facade and the other code requirements before receiving any additional permits or a business license for a package store. Carter emphasized that staff has no mechanism to approve the requested reduction administratively because the code’s “all-brick” requirement for liquor-package stores is explicit.

Councilmembers asked about options and conditions if they were to approve a deviation. Staff provided several potential zoning conditions — including required re-striping, closure of extra tenant entrances, and limits on occupancy — that would be attached to an approval to ensure the building functions as a single-occupancy package store and to address safety and appearance concerns.

The item will be scheduled as a public hearing at the council’s regular meeting so the council can take formal action after public comment and additional documentation from the applicant is submitted.