Changes for liquor licenses for gas stations

By Dana Casadei

As of last spring, Bloomfield Township had never had one of their automobile service stations – gas stations – submit a site plan application for liquor license, causing the board of trustees to wonder why. 

As of the planning commission meeting on Monday, August 5 – where Patricia Voelker, Bloomfield Township Director of Planning, Building, and Ordinances, who broke down those requirements during her presentation – it was easy to see why they haven’t.

The current standards that need to be met are quite intense, Voelker noted, with a lengthy list of requirements that include a minimum of 50 feet between the cash register and fuel pumps; no drive-through within the same building; a minimum building space of 4,000 square feet with one parking space every 200-square-feet; frontage on a major thoroughfare; no service or repair operations within the gas station; they aren’t adjacent to a residential zoned property; and a minimum lot size of one acre for a single user.

They also must either be located in a neighborhood shopping center that’s composed of one or more commercial establishments, and/or have a minimum inventory of $250,000 on the premise, which does not include alcoholic beverages or motor vehicle fuel.

They also need a license issued by the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC).

Voelker went through each requirement in a chart, showing that with the current standards only three of the township’s 12 gas stations even qualify to be able to apply. 

“We really are down to five that have the potential, and that’s if one gets rid of their drive-through, and two get rid of the service, so there’s only three,” she said. 

The amendment changes that Voelker proposed to make this less difficult for gas stations to apply for include making adjustments to a lot of the current standards, such as revising the distance from the point of sale and fuel to only five feet, which would align with the state MLCC requirements; eliminate the minimum building size and lot size; and add an amendment that there must be a minimum of 750 feet distance to any school to be consistent with what is current for retail package outlets.  

If the minimum size requirement is reduced from the current 4,000 square feet that could open the doors for qualification for all of the gas stations. There’s also site constrictions for some of those locations, which would not be able to expand to the 4,000 square feet as currently required.

Commission member Richard Atto had questions, and some clear issues, with there being no square footage minimum within the proposed changes, and said while it didn’t need to be 4,000 square feet, he felt strongly that there should be one set.

“To be able to suggest a building size when these lot sizes are very varied, and there’s so many limitations to where that building is located on the property…” said Voelker. “Those are the constraints that are going to define what that building is. So the approach was more having that set the tone and set the scale as opposed to requiring a minimum square footage.”

None of the 12 gas stations are 4,000 square feet. Some aren’t even close, with the smallest, Costco gas station at 2385 Telegraph Road, at 91-square-feet. The rest roughly are between 1,000 to 3,800 square feet.

Atto wasn’t the only one who brought up concerns with the proposed amendments.

Neal Barnett, planning commission and board of trustee member, took issue with their being no minimum square footage requirement too, and thought it would be helpful to include a police report with their thoughts on this and if there would be increased crime during any upcoming presentations. He also suggested getting data from Birmingham’s gas stations that sell beer, wine, and liquor, to see if that has resulted in increased police calls and public safety calls to those gas stations.

But his biggest concern came from the fact that they would be selling liquor, not just wine and beer like he had thought.

“I think we’re taking something that is rather restrictive right now to something that’s opening up much more than was represented to many of us, so that’s going to be an issue for me,” Barnett said. “I think it [selling liquor] is too broad for me to accept this. Personally, I don’t want to go from one extreme to the other.

“Not to say that I can’t be persuaded under the right circumstances to give it consideration, but the way it’s set up right now, I think we need to be more restrictive to get approval, not only from me, but many other board members on the board of trustees,” he continued.

The planning commission may have taken issue with some of the proposed amendments but one man, Chris Barbat, who spoke during the public comment section, had a lot to add in the defense of these changes. 

Barbat – who is part of the Barbat Organization, who own several local gas stations, including in Bloomfield Township – stated that while he now owns multiple gas stations he started working at them when he was 13, and discussed how much gas stations have evolved over the years. They are now becoming not only a place to get gas, but a quick and convenient stop on the way home from work, where people could pick up a bottle of wine for dinner and not have to worry about dealing with the grocery store. 

He even spoke about how once his gas stations started to sell beer, wine, and liquor, there was no increase in calls to police, but actually fewer because of their additional security measures they added once they started selling alcohol. 

Selling beer, wine, and liquor also isn’t uncommon in the area, with many cities and towns around Bloomfield Township allowing for this kind of distribution at gas stations.

“I think it’ll be an amenity for Bloomfield, too,” Barbat said. 

The planning commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, September 4.