Ward 3 council member wants to look at limiting number of Cape liquor licenses

The construction of a new gambling boat in Cape Girardeau has been called "a game changer" by casino proponents who continue to tout it as an economic windfall.

But at least one member of the Cape Girardeau City Council, Ward 3 representative Deb Tracy, wonders if the game could change for the worse if the opening of the casino next year is followed by more liquor stores and bars.

"The question has come up, and I don't know the answer, if that could happen," Tracy said. "Everybody agrees that improvements need to be made in the downtown area, but what kind of improvements? What kinds of businesses do we want there?"

Tracy has asked the city's staff to look into the possibility of limiting the number of liquor licenses that would be issued by the city. She said she's not advocating that -- not yet -- but she is interested in seeing what the city can do to better plan any growth spawned by Isle of Capri's casino, which is slated to open late next year.

At the council's meeting tonight, pushed back a day for the July 4 holiday, a report prepared by city attorney Eric Cunningham provides some background information for city leaders to consider. The report says that many Missouri cities have adopted a limit for the number of liquor licenses and those limitations have been upheld by Missouri courts.

Cunningham's report says the Missouri cities that have adopted such limitations tend to be smaller communities. Some cities that have limited the number of such licenses include Crystal City, East Prairie and Jackson. One medium-sized city that has done it, the report says, is Poplar Bluff. Ordinances that limit liquor licenses tend to allow one license for a certain number of residents, such as one license for every 100 or 1,000 people.

Jackson, for example, allows one packaged liquor store per 1,000 residents but doesn't limit licenses for other establishments. In Poplar Bluff, 1.5 licenses can be issued for every 1,000 residents for a "by the drink" license.

Cape Girardeau, as of Friday, had issued 117 liquor licenses for the city's restaurants, bars, specialty stores that sell alcohol and convenience stores. With a population of 37,941 at the last census count, if a license were allowed for every 1,000 residents, it would reduce the number of allowable licenses to about 38, although the report says any existing licenses would be grandfathered in.

If 1.5 licenses were allowed for every 1,000 people, as it is in Poplar Bluff, the number of allowable Cape Girardeau licenses would be 57. If a license were issued for every 100 people, the allowable number would be 380 licenses.

Tracy was going to look at Cunningham's report before the meeting and said she doesn't know if any of the proposals would work in Cape Girardeau or if it would take some variation.

"If the casino is going to be a game-changer for the community, let's get our cards on the table," Tracy said. "I've heard from some of my constituents and their concern is that they do not want to see the downtown area become a high percentage of bar business. That's not their idea of redevelopment."

She also noted that some residents near downtown were in staunch opposition to the opening of Cape Mart on North Fountain Street. The council debated giving the owner a liquor license but ultimately did. The store was the site of two armed robberies in June, although police have arrested and charged one man with both.

"It's worrisome," Tracy said. "We want to see diversified business grow in our downtown. These are quality-of-life concerns and those concerns are out there."

She hopes there is at least some discussion about the topic at tonight's meeting, though she said she doesn't have any idea what other members of the council think. Cunningham's report does offer some words of caution, such as the fact that limiting liquor licenses could prompt new business to locate outside the city limits. Also, if limitations prompt a waiting list, a high-profile business could be forced to close if it fails to renew it time, pushing it to the bottom of the waiting list.

"It could cause some things to happen that the council doesn't want," Cunningham said during a recent study session where the topic was first broached.

But at least one other council member is willing to listen. Loretta Schneider, who represents Ward 4, said she thinks it's at least an idea to consider.

"I've heard a lot of comments, too, about figuring out a way to make sure the bars don't concentrate in a certain area," Schneider said. "I think we'd have to find out more how other communities handle it."

smoyers@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO