Support for limiting liquor licenses mixed

Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

Support for a limit on liquor store licenses in St. Mary's was mixed Tuesday at a meeting of the county commissioners and Southern Maryland legislators.

The proposal would allow a maximum of one liquor store license for every 1,350 people in each of the county's nine election districts. There are a total of 154 off-sale licenses in St. Mary's. Some of those are taverns. There are 42 liquor store only licenses.

The proposal comes from the county's retail beverage association with the support of the alcohol beverage board. The intention is that no one area becomes too congested with liquor stores.

"I know there's a problem in the middle of the county," said Del. John F. Wood Jr. (D-St. Mary's, Charles). But in the 5th District, the Mechanicsville and Charlotte Hall area, there are six liquor store licenses. This proposal, if adopted, would allow only three new licenses based on the population.

Wood wanted to know what other kinds of businesses are limited by law in the county.

David Dent, treasurer of the beverage association, said there are other liquor store restrictions in the state.

This is the second year the proposal for St. Mary's has gone to the legislators. "This is the same thing we saw last year just about," Wood said.

The bill ended up in summer study, said Assistant County Attorney David Weiskopf.

"Summer study is often a term that the bill's dead," Del. John Bohanan (D-St. Mary's) said.

"It should be a free market," Wood said.

"I'm here to support the little guys," Dent said. "Our goal isn't to limit the competition. Our goal is to make sure an area isn't oversaturated with outlets."

Bohanan called it "a very modest proposal," that gives the liquor board another tool to restrict licenses. "We have a large number of stores in the Lexington Park area," he said, with "a ton of these little liquor stores popping up" along Great Mills Road.

jbabcock@somdnews.com