ASHLAND — Two proposed liquor districts were passed by Ashland City Council last week by a unanimous vote and a four-out-of-five vote.
For the last two years, the City of Ashland has been without any liquor licenses to award to any new bar, restaurant or associated business.
Licenses can be purchased from other Ohio counties, but it is generally a more expensive route, and thus could serve as a deterrent for new establishments to come to town.
By creating two separate districts, the Community Entertainment District (CED), which is the area around Wal-Mart, and the Community Revitalization District (CRD), which is the downtown area, there would be an additional 15 licenses per district.
The organization that has been behind the new district initiative is the Ashland Area Economic Development (AAED), which is contracted by the both Ashland City and County to, as the name implies, develop the economic infrastructure of the area.
There was some debate as to whether AAED should award the new district to the 250 Wal-Mart area, or aim for the south Claremont McDonald’s area.
AAED Executive Director Kathy Goon believes there is a lot of growth happening along Claremont already.
“In the last five years, we are able to identify and count over 30 projects on Claremont alone,” Goon said. “The recently completed Quick Lane of Ashland on the site of the former Ponderosa, the Ashland City School District Facility in place of King Lane Bowling Alley, The Caddy Shack and Crazy Monkey Baking Company in the former Aldi, Rite Aid, Tin Can Chandelier and the Old Elevator, along with the facelifts for Aber’s Truck Center and Bendon Publishing.”
Also, Goon thinks that the downtown district covers more area than people might realize.
“The Community Revitalization District includes not only Main Street, but Center Street and Claremont Avenue up to and including the Ashland University area,” Goon said.
The next step in the process is trying to persuade the big fish to come swim in Ashland’s growing pond. The number of liquor licenses doesn’t really matter unless you have new owners that want to use them.
In the upcoming months, AAED will be in contact with businesses and giving them pitches to come and open a storefront within the new districts.
If you have questions about how to apply for a liquor permit, want to transfer a permit or for general enquires, a great place to start is the liquor control branch of the Ohio Department of Commerce: http://www.com.ohio.gov/liqr/
