Posted on 06/15/2015 1:52:35 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Baltimore City will not extend riot recovery money to liquor stores that operate outside of zoning regulations, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Monday.
More than 380 businesses across Baltimore were damaged by riots and looting at the end of April, including 23 liquor stores that operate in residential areas. The city has banned alcohol sales in residential areas, but many liquor stores have been grandfathered into current zoning rules.
If those stores plan to continue to operate as grandfathered liquor stores in their current locations, they will not be able to receive recovery money being made available to other businesses through the BDC. The BDC is offering damaged businesses storefront grants of up to $5,000 and no-interest loans of up to $35,000 that can later convert to grants under certain circumstances.
Nonconforming liquor stores can seek assistance from the city, Rawlings-Blake said. But they will have to change to a different line of business or relocate to an area that is zoned for liquor stores.
"I do not believe it is appropriate for the city to provide any money for nonconforming liquor stores to rebuild as liquor stores in those same neighborhoods," she said. "Many of the businesses and the individuals who have donated to the business recovery fund have said the exact same thing. They didn't want their money to go to rebuilding liquor stores in these communities."
The mayor discussed the funding decision in Baltimore's Park Heights neighborhood Monday morning, flanked by members from community groups, City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana S. Wen and City Councilwoman Sharon Green Middleton. Wen said the move is an opportunity to convert liquor stores to grocery stores in communities that have been labeled food deserts because they lack access to fresh food.
Middleton has been part of a long struggle to reduce the number of liquor stores in neighborhoods like Park Heights, she said.
"It's a food desert," Middleton said. "We have reached out time and time again to these outlets. There has been no communication. If they're not going to work with the community and change, they need to go."
The push against nonconforming liquor stores comes as efforts to rewrite the city's zoning code have sparked strong opinions over liquor stores in recent years. City Planning Commission member Cheo D. Hurley, who is also executive director of the Park Heights Renaissance nonprofit group, said he understands the business argument for liquor stores. But high concentrations of liquor stores in neighborhoods are not healthy, Hurley said.
"From a business perspective they're like, 'We can make the best margins,'" he said. "But is that the right thing? Really it's about quality throughout the city. Communities like this are not the only communities where people drink alcohol, but we have, for some reason, a higher concentration of liquor stores. And that's a problem."
Hurley wasn't aware of any nonconforming liquor stores in Park Heights that were damaged in April's unrest and seeking city assistance, he said. But the location of Monday's announcement was still important because of the number of liquor stores in the area, Middleton said.
Nonconforming liquor stores have other avenues for recovery assistance. The U.S. Small Business Administration does not limit its physical disaster loans based on alcohol sales, said Spokeswoman Alana Chavez.
Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development amended regulations prohibiting funding to liquor stores so that it could provide assistance after the recent unrest in Baltimore, said Director of Business Lending Programs Michael Haloskey. But the department needs a local resolution to distribute funding, so it's likely the city could block state assistance for nonconforming liquor stores, he said.
Sounds like the lady mayor “a bit uncomfortable” with blacks having access to liquor.
Perfect.
Kill more businesses and jobs, spread the wondering human debris into the wider zone around the ghetto, on a treck for the daily booze fix.
I guess I missed the part where booze was the cause of the whole mess.
Those damn republicans, opening liquor stores in black areas, probably evil Jews right? S/
“I wouldn’t rebuild any business after the riots”
I believe CVS has already declared they would rebuild, I’m sure they were in a strong position and there was plenty of candy handed out to them by unknowing taxpayers.
Absolutely.
If similarly situated parties are sucking from the Baltimore tit, then these folks are equally entitled.
Of course, if the Baltimore bitch expires from the load, well, that would be an object lesson!
CVS’s corporate move to turn many of their stores to “care centers” proves there is big money to be made from ObamaCare especially in certain communities.
Let me think...
White people pretending to be black...
Maybe... The adult beverage selling folks just need to rebrand themselves to be more accepted on the dolewhip train. Oh but wait I know I’m way late to their private party. Get your free stuff here...wait for it....wait for it.
and drug stores....they’re easy to rob and they have all those oxy’s and hydros to steal...
what’s outrageous is that the govt there is cherry picking who they want to support, and I would guess too that the ones not being supported are probably Asian/Indian/Caucasian American......
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