If Naperville allows Walgreens to sell liquor, the downtown store may not be included due to ongoing trouble with alcohol-fueled incidents in that area.
The restriction was one of a dozen recommended by a city advisory group that has been studying the issue for the past few months.
Walgreens first appeared before the city’s Liquor Commission in July requesting licenses for its 10 Naperville stores. Executives said at the time customers are looking for one-stop shopping and not having alcohol puts Walgreens at a competitive disadvantage.
However, the stores are too small to be able to sell liquor under the current Naperville codes, and officials have determined a new class of license would be necessary. The Liquor Commission expressed initial concern over adding so many new licenses and formed a subcommittee to study the request.
The group reported back to the full commission Thursday that it recommends creating a liquor license specifically for pharmacies with about a dozen restrictions, including that the downtown store on Main Street not be included. It also recommended going a step further and prohibiting the sale of packaged liquor by any downtown store with the exception of a couple specialty shops already in existence.
“I think the subcommittee was concerned by having a liquor store so close to the downtown it may exacerbate some of the issues down there,” city prosecutor Mike DiSanto said.
That recommendation was one on which Walgreens representatives disagreed.
“We have a difference of opinion on the downtown store and feel our store would responsibly enter the market,” said Patrick Skarr, a consultant for Walgreens.
Another proposed rule would prohibit Walgreens stores from selling liquor in quantities that may be deemed single servings with the exception of craft beer.
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“Since Walgreens is requesting that they be allowed to have liquor licenses within these residential areas … we didn’t want them to have individual servings of beer that people could take 40 ounce bottles or 32-ounce cans and sit on the curb out front and drink them and do the brown-bag type deal,” DiSanto said.
Other proposed restrictions include that liquor displays take up no more than 5 percent of the floor space or 500 feet, whichever is less. Walgreens officials said their liquor departments would be about 150 square feet. In addition, liquor sales would end at 1 a.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends as long as a licensed pharmacist is on duty. If one is not present, sales would have to end at 10 p.m.
Mayor George Pradel, the city’s liquor commissioner, said he needed more time to review the recommendations. The group agreed to discuss the issue again Nov. 6.