Tougher regulations imposed on Waterloo convenience, liquor stores

Waterloo city leader say they've noticed a growing number of police calls to convenience and liquor stores in Waterloo, despite attempts by the city to cut back on these establishments.

City leaders say they've had problems with loitering, fights and open alcohol containers outside the liquor stores.  For example, over the last couple of years police have responded multiple times to robberies and shootings at the East Fourth Street Liquor Store.

“We were seeing additional police calls in the areas of those concentrations,” said city planner Arik Schroeder.

This week city leaders say they voted to take another step toward making the community better for residents by imposing tougher regulations on these types of establishments.

"The goal is not to stifle business. We want them to be more accountable to maintaining their premises,” said Waterloo City Council member Quentin Hart.  He's worked on the ordinance for more than a year.

The push to restrict the growing number of liquor stores started several years ago by keeping these businesses several hundred feet away from protected public areas churches, day cares, parks, schools and homes.

“It wasn't quite doing what we hoped it would, so we're tweaking the language a little more making it a little more restrictive,” Schroeder said.

Shops or convenience stores selling alcohol need at least half their sales to be in something other than liquor in order to locate near a protected public area.  This also includes an establishment exceeding 25 percent in hard liquor sales.  Starting next month, cigarettes, lottery tickets and gas will not be considered a "non-alcohol" sale.

If a shop can't meet these requirements, it can't move within 600 feet of a protected public area.

"I think it's really going to help clean up the image of the community and prevent the proliferation of alcohol sales," said Schroeder.

Hart says liquor stores were able to hide under the title of a convenience store under the old ordinance.  The new changes keep business owners honest about their alcohol sales.

A separate ordinance also requires shops to employ “reasonable methods” to prevent loitering, littering and other violations from happening in the areas around their premises.  Schroeder says a store with too many police visits or violations could be closed down.

In addition, if a liquor store closes after three months, another cannot move replace it in the same location.  This revises the old ordinance, which allowed a year grace period.

The changes take effect this November.