The town of St. John is setting some rules for its new liquor licenses.
The town council Wednesday approved an ordinance establishing 10 alcoholic beverage permits in the riverfront district created last year along U.S. 41. The idea is to let businesses get a liquor license for less money, while the town gets more control over what type of businesses move in.
Council member Bryan Blazak said the new permits are the culmination of three years of work. "It is going to open up the avenue for upper-scale restaurants to think about moving to St. John. We've already had some interest," Blazak said.
To qualify, a business's plan has to meet the town's approval. The new licenses are meant to encourage sit-down restaurants, rather than bars, and more than half of the restaurant's business has to be food sales. Liquor licenses in the riverfront district are only valid for that specific business at that specific location. Any transfers have to be approved by the town. And the license has to be renewed every five years.
To help spur development, the St. John Economic Development Committee agreed Wednesday to solicit proposals for a strategic plan for the area west of U.S. 41. Council member Mike Aurelio said the goal is to turn it into a dining and entertainment area.
"So I think we made two big steps, just today, of really creating a St. John-style, great attraction for our town, that will make our town special," Aurelio told the rest of the council Wednesday.
The plan would address infrastructure and design needs. It could also be expanded to look at land use in other parts of the town.
