Commission denies Main Street Pizza’s request to sell beer and wine near Hastings churches

The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to overturn a Planning & Zoning Agency approval and deny Main Street Pizza a special‑use permit and variance to sell beer and wine on its outdoor dining patio.

The decision followed a consolidated quasi‑judicial hearing in which two nearby churches — God’s Way Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Hastings — argued the restaurant sits well within the code’s 1,000‑foot buffer and that alcohol service would harm children’s activities, create noise and traffic hazards, and undermine the churches’ missions. Wendy Smith, representing God’s Way Baptist Church, told the commission the restaurant’s outdoor seating sits “not even 50 feet from [the] property line” and warned that proximity would expose worshippers and children to alcohol‑related activity.

Matt Glass, owner of Main Street Pizza, asked the board to uphold the PZA’s carefully considered decision. Glass said his restaurant is a family‑oriented operation that meets the land development code’s definition of a bona‑fide restaurant eligible to request a variance for beer and wine served with meals. “We are a restaurant, not a bar,” he said, adding the business would limit service to beer and wine, to seated patrons, and to standard restaurant hours.

Church leaders and dozens of residents gave emotionally charged testimony, with several parents and youth leaders describing frequent church programs and children’s activities that take place adjacent to the restaurant. Attorney Matt Rominek, representing First Baptist Church, focused on what he described as uncontested code requirements — including off‑street parking — and urged the commissioners to respect the county’s distance protections.

County staff and the PZA had recommended approval, and supporters of Main Street Pizza said the variance process exists to address precisely these small‑town commercial contexts. Supporters noted that other downtown Hastings businesses sell beer and wine under different code provisions. Despite those arguments, the board concluded the appellants had established sufficient concerns about compatibility and public welfare to overturn the PZA. Commissioner Christian Whitehurst said the church’s long history in Hastings and the lack of demonstrated hardship justified denying the request.

The motion to overturn the PZA and deny both the special‑use permit and variance passed 5‑0. The board then took up other quasi‑judicial items on the agenda.

The appeal record, staff reports and the PZA’s February 19 findings were central to the hearing, and the commissioners said their decision was grounded in the code criteria for special uses and variances. No immediate appeal to the First District Court of Appeal was announced during the meeting.