Wheaton moves ahead with 7-Eleven liquor license
Wheaton City Council members did not change their opinions regarding the issuance of a liquor license to a downtown 7-Eleven Monday, despite outcry from about a dozen residents.
In August, the council approved, with a 5-2 vote, an amendment to the liquor ordinance to allow for the sale of alcohol in the 7-Eleven at 326 W. Liberty Drive.
The code states liquor licenses can't be issued for the retail sale of alcohol within 100 feet of a church, school or hospital home for the aged or indigent, but the rear corner of the 7-Eleven and the nearest part of the parish center for St. Michael's Catholic Church is about 70 feet.
Since then, the liquor control commission has met twice to discuss issuing that 7-Eleven location a Class S license, which was created earlier this year to give convenience stores an opportunity to sell beer, wine and liquor.
“We took action at our last meeting, unanimously, to recommend that a liquor license not be extended to the 7-Eleven at that particular location, not because we dislike the store, not because we dislike the owners of the store. It's because of their location,” said commission chairman Mark Taylor.
Taylor said he can't recall another time in his 25 years of serving as chairman that the commissioners recommended against an application. He added that the commissioners were disappointed the city council addressed the liquor ordinance amendment in August without discussing it with the commission.
On Monday, the council agreed to have city staff draft an ordinance to increase the number of Class S licenses to include 7-Eleven, which they will vote upon in two weeks. Councilmen Thor Saline and Phil Suess voted no, as they had on the ordinance amendment. Councilwoman Evelyn Pacino Sanguinetti was absent.
“This is a risk question. We are introducing a risk into this situation that does not currently exist,” Suess said. “There's no other school in this community that's exposed to that level of risk.”
His sentiments were echoed by many St. Michael's parents, who expressed concerns about their children's safety and the 124 instances that police needed to intervene at the store between 2012 and 2014, for reasons such as suspicious persons, shoplifting and public complaints.
Andrea Quinn said her children attend Longfellow Elementary, which is several blocks north of the 7-Eleven, but she still fears for the negative consequences that could occur in the entire downtown area by adding alcohol to the store.
“I feel if you vote in favor of this liquor license for 7-Eleven you will be compromising the integrity of our downtown, our family orientation. It will be opening up a Pandora's box,” she said.
Representatives from 7-Eleven, however, said they want to fulfill the many requests that have received from customers to carry wine and beer, and they will do so safely.
“We have responsibly handled tobacco, lottery and there is no reason to believe that alcohol would be handled differently,” said store owner Diane Petani.