By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a letter authorizing the issuance of a liquor license for a new Amazon Fresh grocery store at the Sunrise Village shopping center.
At a city council meeting on August 14, the council unanimously approved both a general take-out license and an alcoholic beverage license with educational tastings for the grocery store. No comments were made during a public hearing.
On July 15, Amazon Fresh submitted a letter of public convenience and necessity (PCN) for Alcoholic Beverage Control’s Type 21 (general off-premises sale) and Type 86 (guided tasting) licenses for review. A letter of public convenience and necessity (PCN) is required when a business applies for certain types of alcohol licenses in areas where the number of existing licenses exceeds a state-established threshold. The Alcoholic Beverage Control will only issue licenses that have been previously approved by a local authority, the Planning Department said.
The liquor license application was reviewed by the Citrus Heights Police Department as well as Sunrise MarketPlace’s board of directors, the city said. Sunrise MarketPlace submitted a letter of support to the city in which Executive Director Kathilynn Carpenter “strongly encourages” the council to allow alcohol sales and tastings at the future store, noting that the tastings would provide an “experience” aspect not found at other alcohol retailers in the city.
According to a letter filed by Amazon Fresh, the company wants to operate a “full-service grocery store” at 5425 Sunrise Blvd. that would be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and offer a “wide selection of national brands and high-quality produce, meats and seafood.” The grocer will also sell beer, wine and spirits and offer “limited alcohol tastings with educational information” in a designated area. The tastings will be small samples offered by trained beverage suppliers or employees to customers 21 and older, in accordance with Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority regulations.
According to the agenda package, Amazon Fresh will operate in the same area where nine other locations with liquor licenses already operate. After review, the city determined that three establishments with liquor licenses are within 1,000 feet of the new grocer, including another grocery store, a convenience store and a liquor store. Mr. Liquor operates in the same shopping center as the future grocer.
An opening date for the store has not yet been announced.
The Citrus Heights City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a letter allowing the issuance of a liquor license for a new Amazon Fresh grocery store…
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