Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Liquor Store topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tamarac commission approves liquor store at Pointe Plaza with conditions after resident objections
Summary
The commission granted a special exception to Petito Liquors for a Pointe Plaza location, 4-1, after neighbors raised traffic and late-night loitering concerns; the approval includes modified hours, delivery restrictions and a one-year review condition tied to calls-for-service.
The City of Tamarac's commission approved a special exception on Nov. 12 to allow Petito Liquors to operate at 7158 North Nob Hill Road in Pointe Plaza, with conditions that the owner said he would accept.
Applicant Wizme Petito and contractor Bradley Gross presented a security and operations plan (CCTV, ID scanners and employee training) and asked the commission to approve operations that, as proposed, would include hours extending into the evening. Several neighbors, including Aspen Oostek, who lives directly across from the storefront, opposed the use at the public hearing, saying the plaza is surrounded by residential neighborhoods and is prone to traffic and late-night loitering.
Commissioners discussed several possible mitigations and ultimately added conditions to the approval: hours aligned with existing nearby liquor stores (weekdays through Saturday to close close to 9 p.m., Sunday adjusted), no deliveries before 9 a.m., and a one-year review by staff to evaluate calls-for-service and potential loitering. The city specified that any transfer of the special exception would require acknowledgment of the conditions and that outstanding code violations must be resolved prior to final issuance of a business tax receipt.
Deputy City Manager Maxine Calloway and staff reported BSO (Broward Sheriff's Office) call analyses showed standard call patterns at other liquor stores and no outlier crime statistics, while planning staff confirmed the proposed location met the 1,000-foot distance separation rules from schools and parks required by the code.
The vote was 4-1 in favor, with Mayor Michelle J. Gomez opposed. Commissioners said the vote represented a compromise between economic opportunity and neighborhood protections. The conditions allow staff and the commission to revisit the matter if incidents increase.
Closing note: The approval is subject to the city's code conditions; the owner will apply for state licensing and a local business tax receipt before opening.
