Title
Agenda Item:
Approval of Resolution Petitioning the Washington State Liquor Control Board to Create a Permanent Alcohol Impact Area
Body
Issue:
Shall the City submit a petition to Washington State Liquor Control Board to establish a mandatory Alcohol Impact Area?
Committee Recommendation:
Land Use and Environment Committee recommends filing the petition.
City Manager's Recommendation:
Move to approve the proposed Resolution, and direct the City Manager to forward the petition to Washington State Liquor Control Board
Staff Contact:
Brian Wilson, Code Enforcement Officer, Community Planning & Development, 360.570.3798
Presenter(s):
Brian Wilson, Code Enforcement Officer, Community Planning & Development
Background and Analysis:
An Alcohol Impact Area (AIA) prohibits the sale of banned alcoholic beverages. Banned beverages include high-alcohol content, single serve, cheap malt liquor or fortified wine. The AIA would impact off-premises retail locations within the defined boundaries. The AIA does NOT affect restaurants or bars.
After observing the success of Alcohol Impact Areas in other nearby cities, Olympia City Council took steps to implement an AIA in Downtown Olympia.
On March 13, 2012, Council approved on second reading the Alcohol Impact Area Ordinance establishing a 6-month voluntary compliance period.
After the approval of the ordinance, staff became aware that several items on the prohibited list were no longer available and others were either renamed by breweries or rebranded. Some brands were removed from the list due to the price point being above the threshold of what is considered to be cheap, single-serve beverages.
On April 10, 2012, Council approved an amendment to update the banned beverage list. This amendment to the list reset the 6-month voluntary start date to May 1, 2012. The 6-month minimum voluntary period ended November 1, 2012.
A multitude of data collection occurred during the voluntary compliance period including: Store inventory audits, Has Been Drinking (HBD) Police contacts, Medical call volume, and an alleyway beer can survey. Results from the data collection efforts can be found in the proposed petition to the WSLCB (Attachment 1).
Once a peition is filed, the WSLCB will conduct a review process that includes a public comment period, board review and a board vote to adopt a resolution creating a state recognized mandatory Alcohol Impact Area. Their process takes about 2-3 months.
A map of the proposed AIA is included in the Resolution.
Neighborhood/Community Interests (if known):
Banning cheap, high alcohol content, single-serve beverages is a key step toward creating a safe and welcoming environment for all users of downtown Olympia.
Options:
Option 1 - Move to direct the City Manager to forward the petition to Washington State Liquor Control Board.
Option 2 - Suggest changes to the petition and push motion to forward petition to a future City Council Meeting.
Financial Impact:
N/A