Revised Liquor License Ordinance Passes Cherry Hill Council

A revised version of an ordinance that will allow liquor sales beyond standalone liquor stores passed Cherry Hill’s township council without opposition Monday night.

Instead of just the blanket repeal of restrictions included in the original ordinance introduced last month—a version that was subsequently killed off—this one contains a number of restrictions, requiring retailers to set aside a specific portion of the store solely for liquor sales and separate registers for liquor sales, similar to what is in place at the Wegmans grocery store in Mount Laurel.

It also specifies a minimum of 15,000 square feet for the entire store, including the area for liquor sales, effectively cutting off smaller retailers and convenience stores from holding a liquor license.

The additional restrictions were necessary to balance concerns of health and safety with convenience, township officials said earlier.

While Cherry Hill’s Wegmans already runs a standalone liquor store just 100 yards from its main entrance, other grocery stores and large retailers in the township would be eligible under the revised ordinance, which gets its final reading and public hearing in two weeks.

The council also OK’d a resolution allowing for a rescheduled liquor license auction following the postponement of the sale originally scheduled for Feb. 12. That distribution license—as opposed to a consumption license for a bar or other establishment—would be the township's first in about 20 years.

“We are still looking at the end of March or beginning of April for the auction,” township spokeswoman Bridget Palmer said.

Two bidders had preregistered for the February auction, which had a minimum bid of $425,000, Palmer said, but the township will press the reset button on the entire process, requiring new bids ahead of the rescheduled auction.