County attorney presents draft amendment to alcohol-distance rules; board takes first reading

County legal staff presented a draft amendment to the county’s alcohol ordinance intended to modernize distance rules and differentiate between on-premise (bars and restaurants) and off-premise (liquor stores, grocery/convenience sale of beer and wine) uses.

The draft retains state-mandated distance protections — for example, a 300-foot restriction for alcoholic treatment centers and a 300-foot/600-foot protection for certain schools and campuses where state law requires it — but proposes removing some local residential and church distance requirements for beer-and-wine retail to ease siting of convenience/grocery sales. The county attorney characterized the change as an attempt to make the ordinance less one-size-fits-all and to allow differing standards for a bar versus a grocery store that sells beer.

Commissioners asked whether distances are measured from building to property line (the attorney confirmed measurements are typically from the building to the nearest residential property line) and noted mixed-use developments may raise additional questions. The presentation was a first reading; staff will bring a final draft and a second reading if the board schedules it.