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Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals approves expansion of Whaley Street liquor store
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Summary
At its March meeting the Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals granted a special exception allowing a liquor store at 625 Whaley Street (Unit C) to expand from about 1,500 to 3,000 square feet, after hearing applicant testimony, neighborhood safety concerns and staff analysis; approval was made subject to staff comments.
The Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals voted at its March meeting to approve a special exception allowing an existing liquor store at 625 Whaley Street (Unit C) to expand into an adjacent vacant suite, increasing total liquor-store space from roughly 1,500 to about 3,000 square feet.
Applicant attorney Jake Moore told the board the owners have operated at the site for about 15 years and that, in that time, “they've never had any alcohol violation of any type.” He said about 500 square feet of the expanded footprint would be used for storage and the addition represents roughly 1,000 square feet of extra retail space. Contractor Nam Kim said roughly one-third of the added space is for storage and that he did not expect adverse effects on neighbors.
Viola (Vai) Henley, representing the Mill District Alliance, urged caution and cited traffic and pedestrian-safety concerns on Whaley Street. Henley said the corridor is “a very, very, very busy street taking on 22,000 vehicles a day during the school year,” noted crash rates and said the nearby population includes a large underage cohort; she asked the board to require strict ID-checking procedures. Property owner Hasmuk Parekh said he proposed the expansion after a restaurant tenant failed to sustain business during summer months and said he scans IDs at the store and keeps the property clean.
Staff zoning administrator Andrew Livengood summarized the proposal and reminded the board it must make findings on twelve standards for a special exception, calling out two standards in particular: whether the use is consistent with the character of the district and whether there is a detrimental concentration or proliferation of similar special-exception uses. Staff reported three liquor-licensed locations within 1.5 miles, including Greens Assembly Beverage and Tilly’s Warehouse (5 Points), and noted that the district’s overlay does not include minimum parking requirements for the use.
Board members discussed earlier engagement between the applicant and neighborhood organizations at the time of the original redevelopment but several members and the chair said they wished the applicant had held a specific outreach meeting about this expansion. Members weighing the evidence said they did not see data showing the modest expansion alone would increase traffic or safety problems; one member pointed out Greens is a much larger (about 10,000 sq ft) operation and differs from the neighborhood-scale store proposed here.
When the motion to approve — made "subject to staff comments" — was called, a board member moved, another seconded and the board approved the special exception by voice vote. The board announced the motion carried. The meeting was later adjourned.
Next steps: the board’s approval allows the applicant to proceed with the expanded liquor-store use subject to any standard conditions and staff comments recorded in the case file.
