Community members opposed to a liquor store that plans to open in the same location vacated by another bottle shop on Johnson Ferry Road have appealed to the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
Commissioners will conduct a public hearing Tuesday to hear the appeal of residents and nearby business owners, who say the area doesn’t need another liquor store.
WellSpun Investments Inc. applied in March for a liquor, beer, wine and Sunday sales license for Habits Bottle Shop at 2940 Johnson Ferry Road, near the intersection of Freeman Road.
It would replace Jackie’s Fine Wine and Spirits, which relocated nearby to 3140 Johnson Ferry Road, and would be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
WellSpun was initially denied a liquor license in June by the Cobb Business License Division, then appealed to the Cobb License Review Board, which granted approval in August.
Opponents, who have hired an attorney, Christina Moore of Taylor English Duma LLP, have said the new store is located close to two pre-schools and religious space and isn’t suitable for an area with young people. Some also expressed traffic concerns at that intersection.
The store is less than 600 feet from the Princeton Montessori School and the Primrose School of Lassiter and is less than 400 feet from Sacred Tapestry, a Methodist-affiliated entity that holds worship services at an adjacent strip mall.
The License Review Board typically grants waivers for distance requirements if there’s not opposition.
(Also on Tuesday’s agenda is a consent item to grant a liquor license for a new Canton Road sports bar on Canto Road, whose owner has appealed a denial of a liquor license due to its proximity to a church.The review board is recommending commissioners approve the license for Bar 44, and there has been no known opposition.)
Since Jackie’s moved, the landlord has been advertising the 2940 Johnson Ferry Road space as suitable for a liquor store or retail use.
But letters from community members initially filed in March, and included in Tuesday’s agenda item for the hearing (you can read through them here) say that there are plenty of establishments in the vicinity that sell alcohol in addition to Jackies: Walmart, gas station convenience stores and restaurants.
“There are currently 10 stores selling distilled spirits within a 5 mile radius with many more selling wine and beer,” wrote one citizen. “The proximity to schools and impact on traffic are two very important additional reasons why we object to this application.”
Another resident said “we don’t need one more establishment for the teenagers at Pope and Walton High School to buy from, and inevitably pay a legal adult to buy alcohol for them. I know this due to the fact that I went to Walton High School and my daughters went to Pope High School.”
In response to a questionnaire from the review board, Salim Rajan of WellSpun said he would require employees to card “if a customer appears to be under the age of 40” and that employees will be terminated if they have been found to have made an underage sale.
The Tuesday hearing will take place at the end of the meeting, and will be conducted like a formal court proceeding, with witnesses sworn in, evidence introduced and cross-examination allowed.
The full agenda for Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting can be found by clicking here. It will take place in the second floor board room of the Cobb Government Building, 100 Cherokee St., in downtown Marietta.
You also can watch on the county’s website, Facebook Live and YouTube channels and on Cobb TV 23 on Comcast Cable.
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- Cobb commissioners table proposals to regulate trash service
- Cobb trash haulers tell county officials: ‘We can fix this’
- Birrell asks for Cobb to delay proposed trash service changes
- Proposed changes to Cobb trash service draw citizen opposition
- $1 billion in 2022 Cobb property tax bills issued; due Oct. 15
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