Last November — about 11 months ago — Barrington residents voted to approve the establishment of a liquor store within town borders. It was an historic vote for the longtime “dry” town.
But since that vote, residents have been left wondering “Where’s the beer?”
The application process conducted by the Barrington Town Council has seemed to be — at least to us — really slow. Meetings are held, issues are discussed, applicants are interviewed, zoning is explored and still there is no new liquor store in town.
At the most recent meeting, the council discussed possibly reducing the number of liquor licenses from two to one. That discussion was a waste of time considering that town officials already had ample time to decide on how many licenses to offer. We can even recall a meeting earlier this year when a council member repeatedly asked each applicant whether they thought the town could support one or two licenses. (The majority of applicants said Barrington could support only one new liquor store.) With that information fresh in their minds, the councilors voted to issue two licenses. A month later, the topic was back before the same board. What gives?
While some residents grow frustrated with the delays, applicants bite their tongues and do their best to smile in front of the council while the process drags on. Each month without a store is a month without sales for these people, a month without profits.
Meanwhile, there’s a chance the delay could drag on even longer, as the two applicants who received special-use permits for the stores are located within 200 feet of each other; state law says you can’t have two liquor stores within 200 feet of one another.
We understand issuing Class A liquor licenses is an important matter for the town and wasn’t going to happen overnight. Legislative action and an examination of local zoning ordinances were needed.
But 11 months and still no store? Really?
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