Prospective tavern owners will no longer face a one-year waiting period before they can sell liquor and beer downtown if they are replacing a business that used to sell alcohol.
The Alcohol License Review Committee passed a motion to eliminate the 365-day limit rule in the downtown Alcohol Beverage License Density Plan area at its Wednesday meeting.
The limit dictated that a new business located in the downtown Alcohol Beverage License Density Plan area could not sell alcohol in its first year of operation if it was replacing another business that also sold alcohol.
The amending of the ordinance to eliminate the 365-day limitation was sponsored by Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, and Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5.
The elimination of the limit offers new businesses the opportunity to sell alcohol at a location of former alcohol sale within a year of the preceding business's closure.
The committee debated whether the elimination would be worthwhile. The 365-day limit was created as a way to reduce the number of tavern licenses in the downtown area, but given the recent economic downturn, opponents said the negative side effects outweighed its intended purpose.
""This is … an immediate fix to a current problem,"" said committee member Thomas Landgraf. ""[It's] brought on by the current economic times.""
Council members said the rule hurt the overall downtown climate of commerce during a period of economic recession, citing that as a main reason for eliminating the 365-day limit.
The elimination of the limit is essentially a six-month suspension from the 365-day limit rule until the ALRC rewrites the sections of the Madison General Ordinances pertaining to alcohol sale this October.
In addition to the 365-day limit elimination, the committee also approved State Street Pub's request for a 21-plus entertainment license dealing with live music and a new alcohol sale license.
The State Street Pub, under new management, wanted to bring in new attractions such as live music and a renovated interior to attract new customers.
""The fact that the Pub has become this live music scene on weekends I think has been phenomenal,"" stated Landgraf. ""It is a terrific resource for local talent [and] local campus bands to perform.""
The committee also approved alcohol licenses for the proposed new restaurant Honest Foods and Jo's Café of Bassett Street.
