City looks to tap out early alcohol sales

Officials consider alcohol sales after 10 a.m.

In lieu of pursuing state legislation, the city has discussed with the county board of license commissioners limiting sales hours through liquor licenses issued in specific areas, Assistant City Manager Fred Felton said.

Opening hours for alcohol sales under consideration are 10 a.m., Felton said.

The ‘‘improvement area” where limitations would take effect has been narrowed to around the first 200 blocks of North Frederick Avenue in Olde Towne, Felton said during the Feb. 5 mayor and City Council meeting.

He expects police data on crimes in that area will be available by the end of the week.

Alcohol licenses annually expire May 1, and must be renewed each spring, said Kathie Durbin, acting division chief of licensure for the county department of liquor control.

If the city garners 10 signatures from community members requesting a hearing at renewal time, they can discuss with the board of license commissioners how to approach the situation and how businesses can act more responsibly if there’s an issue, Durbin said.

‘‘Our purpose is to keep the community safe, and at the same time working with enforcement to bring their knowledge up as well,” she said.

City officials during the Feb. 5 meeting said they are pursuing having all the paperwork in order by April 1 to apply for a hearing by the May 1 deadline.

If approved, Gaithersburg might be the first city in the state with the restrictive licensing measure, Durbin said.

‘‘I don’t believe you’ll ever eliminate all problems in any city associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages, but it seems to be a reasonable and a modest approach,” Felton said.

This isn’t the city’s first attempt at corking alcohol-related problems in that area. Humpton in 2005 personally requested a 7-Eleven convenience store on North Frederick Avenue voluntarily roll back its alcohol sales from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Store owners tried the schedule change from November 2005 to March 2006, but eventually had to restock their alcohol shelves at early hours because sales reportedly dropped about 10 percent.

The store’s primary owner, Abraham Habtemariam, declined to comment for this story, citing restrictions in 7-Eleven’s corporate policy. 7-Eleven corporate executives in Dallas did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Though the 7-Eleven often is first identified when the subject of alcohol sales restrictions is discussed, Felton said maintaining a solid rapport with businesses is a key factor as the city moves forward to eliminate this problem.

‘‘I’d like to stress we have nothing against this business, but we really do not see the need or value to be selling alcohol at the early morning hours,” Felton said.

While the issue has previously been tenuously linked with day-laborer activity in Olde Towne, Felton said he doesn’t believe the city is operating as though there’s a correlation between the two issues.

Most Council members have responded positively about the renewed interest in stymieing early hour alcohol sales.

‘‘It would indicate to the businesses that we are serious about the issue and that we will follow up and take whatever action we can to ensure we can address the public concerns about this,” councilman Michael A. Sesma said during the Jan. 16 meeting.