EASTON, Pa. — Easton City Council this week approved the transfer of a liquor license to a Downtown gas station and convenience store, pending a zoning clearance.
Appearing on behalf of Sai Easton LLC, Prince Patel and his attorney John Rodgers were in council chambers Wednesday night for a public hearing before a vote that approved the resolution for the transfer.
According to the resolution, Sai Easton LLC applied for the transfer of a liquor license purchased at auction from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board for use in Williams Township.
Sai Easton LLC intends to use the license to sell six-packs of alcoholic beverages from the Square One Markets site at 158 S. Third St., at South Third Street and Larry Holmes Drive.
“So the reason we're here, and I apologize, we have to go to zoning for a special exception. We understand that, but we're under a time crunch, because they won the auction, and we have to file a transfer by April 6. So if we don't file the transfers with the control board, we lose the license. So that's why we're asking for approval, and it could be conditioned upon the zoning,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers said the convenience store has enough room to support a new configuration for alcohol, including seating for 30 individuals, which is required under the liquor code.
However, Rodgers said, “We’re not going to encourage people to sit and drink,” rather, they would allow for customers to consume one drink before leaving the premises.
Patel explained that half the 14 coolers currently sitting in the store would be turned into space for alcoholic beverages to go, which would be available from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Sundays.
“My concern is your individual cans, and people walking out the door, and also selling alcoholic slushies. We have other convenience stores in the city that do that, and we’re very concerned about that, but since we have precedent, I’m going to vote for this, but I don’t want to,”Mayor Sal Panto Jr.
Rodgers noted earlier in the hearing that another cooler would be added to sell six-packs to go as well.
Patel also said there would be several fail-safe mechanisms to prevent sales to minors, including license scanning, RAMP certification, multiple high-resolution security cameras, and an internal compliance officer who would test for compliance.
Mayor Sal Panto Jr. expressed concerns over sales of individual beverages and the potential for customers to drink in public.
“My concern is your individual cans, and people walking out the door, and also selling alcoholic slushies. We have other convenience stores in the city that do that, and we’re very concerned about that, but since we have precedent, I’m going to vote for this, but I don’t want to,” Panto said.
Solicitor Joel Scheer advised editing the resolution to address the requirement for special exceptions via the zoning hearing board, stating they should “add a paragraph, ‘Be it further resolved that this resolution is not intended as approval or recommendation of the special exception, and use of this license at 158 S. Third St. is conditional on obtaining more required zoning approvals.”
After the hearing concluded, council eventually approved the resolution.
