Title
Amending Alcohol Impact Area Banned Product List
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Move to direct staff to present 2014 Alcohol Impact Area data collection to full Council and propose amended banned product list.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to authorize City Manager or designee to petition the Washington State Liquor Control board for an expanded banned product list.
Report
Issue:
New beer can litter and police arrest data suggest and warrant an expansion of the Alcohol Impact Area banned products list in order to further promote the goals of the original AIA.
Staff Contact:
Brian Wilson, Downtown Liaison, Community Planning & Development, 360.570.3798
Presenter(s):
Brian Wilson, Downtown Liaison, Community Planning & Development, 360.570.3798
Background and Analysis:
In December, 2013, the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) approved the City of Olympia's petition to adopt a mandatory Alcohol Impact Area (AIA) in Downtown Olympia. An AIA is a ban on certain high-alcohol content brands in off-premises retail locations. The only other Washington State cities with WSLCB recognized AIAs are Seattle, Tacoma, and Spokane. All three of these cities have shown that AIAs have been a statistically significant tool for reducing chronic public inebriation in urban cores.
The boundaries of Downtown Olympia's AIA can be found in Attachment 1. There are currently eight (8) off-premises retail locations in the Downtown Olympia AIA with active licenses allowing the sale of beer, wine and liquor. On February 15, 2014 the WSLCB recognized ban on the sale of 9 brands took effect.
In Spring/Summer of 2014, city staff collected data to test the effectiveness of the current ban. An alcohol container litter survey was conducted in the month of June. The survey area included a 4 week sweep of the AIA area and the areas surrounding the two closest off-premises retailers outside the boundary. Surveyors found 351 contain...
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