Agenda - Council - 08/25/1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

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CASE SQUARE FOOTAGE REQUIREMENT FOR OFF-SALE LIQUOR ESTABLISHMENTS By: Mike Auspos, PoliCe Chief Background: ~ During the r~.c~e~ nt license renewals for off-sale liquor sales, the question came up regarding the 4,000 square foot ~quirement for off-sale liquor stores. Specifically, this concerned Ralph's Highway .#10 LiqUors in that at one time the business had over the 4,000 square foot minimum requirement argl n~w, due to the opening of a pawn shop licensed by the City, the off-sale portion has less than ~0001 square feet available for retail sales and storage. The license was granted for the 1992~93 },{ar ~ .a~d, during the ensuing ten months, Staff was to check into the history of the square foot r~affe~ent to determine its necessity. Observations: Under the old iCity Code, Chapter 130.09, Ordinance #78-2, adopted in May 1978, there was a 6,000 square f0Ot.lequirement; 3,000 square feet on the ground floor and 3,000 square feet in a basementlf~ sio?a[ e. The space was to be used totally for the use of off-sale liquor. Again under the old City.~¢, ~ )rdinanee #79-8, adopted in August 1979, amended Ordinance #78-2 to require a minimum b~ 2,0t ~0 square feet on the ground floor level and 2,000 square feet either in the basement or grp.~ until floor for storage. The entire space was to be devoted exclusively to the use of the off-sale l~quot ~stablishment. I have reviewed the Ad Hoc Liquor and License Commission Report preseot~ to, the Ramsey City Council on November 11, 1981 and it makes no comment as to the rationale!for .any square foot requirement in that study. Present City C-~e,iSection 7.53.11, Subdivision 6, requires 4,000 square feet of area consisting of public sales ~sp!ay and/or private storage and all this area must be for exclusive use of the off- sale liquor bUs!nes~, I have been unable to fred any minutes of discussions regarding this subject either of the City Council or in'the Ad Hoc Liquor and License Committee Report. Information regarding square foot requirements has been very hard to come up with. The majority of the Men'o./~,'~ ea Cities I called have municipal owned liquor stores and those that don't tell me their ordinanc~ ha~e no square footage requirements. None of the city clerks or licensing persons I spoke with had ar~y idea of the history of such a requirement. The League of Minnesota Cities sent me informatioh but none of it dealt specifically with the subject we have in our ordinance. Their model o~dina~ee contains no reference to square footage requirements. The closest I could find is a reference in Brooklyn Park's ordinance to a requirement that off-sale liquor licenses be limited to eo!ngner6ial areas having 50,000 square feet of commercial space. I believe this is to limit them to what ~ould be called quality shopping malls or strips. Coon Rapids. r~en~ly sold their municipal liquor outlets to private parties and, as an admittedly Another reasot~ ad~,anced by them was that this would tend to keep small stores out, thereby lessening thc namb~r of places that the police would have to monitor for problems. I made inquiry witl~ the Minnesota Liquor Control Commission in the hopes that an agent there may have be~n, '~fam~liar with local requirements for a minimum amount of space, however, nobody there could tell,me ~ything. The State has no such requirements.