Thursday, January 24, 2008

New Liquor License

So I saw on town talk(http://rp-towntalk.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html) that there is opposition by our Mayor, town council, and other residents for an alcoholic beverage license for a business known as Jin Lee Palace. The business would be at the corner of Riverdale Rd and Kenilworth Ave, and would sell liquor 6 days a week, beer and wine 7 days a week, and have a drive through window.
I'm pro business for this community and I'm pro-alcohol. But this doesn't sound like a business that is needed in that location. I don't think anybody on the Kenilworth side of town is having a hard time finding beer, wine, or spirits. I ran a quick google maps search, and this is what I found...

View Larger Map

Each of those spots marks a liquor store near the intersection of Riverale Rd. and Kenilworth Ave. There already is a liquor store on the opposite side of the street in Riverdale Plaza(location A), a liquor store 2 blocks south on Kenilworth(location B), and a drive through liquor store less than a mile and a half away in Bladensburg(location D)! This map also doesn't denote Dumm's Market which sells Beer and Wine 7 days a week less than a mile away on Riverdale Rd. I've never had a hard time buying alcohol in Riverdale Park. There are plenty of options.

A restaurant with a full bar is not a bad idea. I like restaurants and enjoy a drink with most dinners, so I would see no problem with this. However, Kenilworth Avenue doesn't need another drive through liquor store, or any other for that matter. I'm sure most commuters who drive by our community are not very impressed with what they see of Riverdale as they drive through on Kenilworth. Supporting local businesses and encouraging them to make our town look beautiful is a wonderful idea. However, introducing a liquor store which is not needed certainly isn't a way to beautify our town. If Jin Lee Palace wants to open a restaurant with a full bar...I would support that. However, if their intent it to run a liquor store as well, then I don't think their license should be approved.

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