Liquor originally uploaded by Rob
The most recent Farmington City Council meeting (WMV video, Farmington Independent) offered an opportunity for residents to voice their opinions regarding a potential move of the downtown Farmington liquor store from its current location at 109 Elm St in a collection of strip malls centered around a grocery store to a more “visible” location approximately 1/3 of a mile away.
Farmington Mayor Todd Larson opened the public comment portion with a directive asking residents not to debate, “the philosophy of whether we should be or shouldn’t be in the liquor store (business), this is talking about purchasing this site as the future downtown liquor store…that decision has been made.”
Numerous residents spoke up at the meeting against the liquor store however none stood to support the proposed changes:
- The first resident to speak took issue with the city planning to take a taxable business location off the roles for them to sell liquor. He noted that no other alternative locations were provided to the residents to see and accused the City Council of planning to move forward with this new location regardless of the input given. Just before walking away he admonished all but one member of the council for refusing to respond to this e-mails even though they were elected officials after two of the councilmembers admitted they passed the buck to the City Administrator. When pressed one of the councilmembers claimed he needed more information.
The next resident to speak noted that the new liquor store would be located in a residential neighborhood and there are lots of small children who live nearby. She suggested that the council more strongly consider the location at Vermillion Crossing which would “only” require $500,000 to $700,000 more which would help to move the “issues and the drunks” as she doesn’t want her children exposed to that.
Another resident later in the meeting noted that the Farmington liquor stores do not make as much money as their local peers or even when compared across the state. He then asked whether the council/administration had a plan to make either of the two proposed properties far more profitable than the current stores provide.
What do you think about Farmington’s plans to move the current liquor store less than a third of a mile and the uproar it has caused? Do you agree with the residents (and one councilmember) that the new location, in a residential neighborhood, would be detrimental to the lives of the children living nearby? What do you think about city councilmembers refusing to respond to residents and instead blaming the City Administrator (who wasn’t in attendance) for dropping the ball? Are you a Farmington resident? Where do you shop for liquor? Do you believe this move is a positive one? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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January 19th, 2012 at 8:07 am
I’m guessing they want to move to get out of a high-ish costing lease at the new building that was built for them in the grocery store plaza. They went form a dinky little store to a nice big, well-lit store with a beer cave (a beer cave!!). Then, about a year ago, they started talking about maybe moving back to smaller location downtown. At that time, I told a friend of mine that worked there that I thought that was a stupid idea. They had finally gotten big enough space to have a selection that would entice me to shop there (I am a beer snob, and proud of it). Since then, they have made the store on Pilot Knob smaller by giving up the new ‘wine cellar’ addition they added a few years ago.
I no longer shop at either store, because frankly they don’t have the selection I’m looking for. They still can’t get Surly for some reason (maybe they don’t want it?) and they haven’t really embraced the craft beer revolution (evolution?) that’s going on right now. Craft beer sales are surging compared to everything else. Making the store any smaller won’t be a step in the right direction, either.
I don’t agree at all that a liquor store in a neighborhood will cause problems. It’s not like there’s always a bunch of drunk bums hanging out looking for a hand-out, it’s a liquor store in a suburb. Give me a break. What blew my mind was that they said they would spend $1 million to rehab the old building they were going to buy. $1 million, are you nuts?? For a 40-year old building that isn’t really designed for retail sales anyway? Dumb idea. Go ahead and build a new building in the Vermillion River complex. Maybe that will help spark more development out there. Or better yet, stay where the hell you are now, and don’t spend another $1 million that you don’t have!
And since Mayor Larson isn’t in charge of this site, I can go ahead and say I don’t think cities have any business being in the liquor business. For-profit operations are better left in the hands of those who know how to run a business and make a profit. Government shouldn’t be in competition with private businesses.
January 19th, 2012 at 8:16 am
I do not like municipal liquor. I think it’s a bad idea in general and especially dim-witted in Farmington where more businesses are needed to help shore up the tax base. Despite council’s constant call for more businesses what do they do? Never one’s to follow the obvious solution they are not opening the city to non-municipal liquor which would add to the tax base instead they’re proposing to take a commercial property currently paying $13,000 in taxes off the tax rolls thus increases property taxes for the rest of us.
What surprises me the most is that Farmington just spent the last six months talking about reducing the city’s $38 million debt and they’re facing over $300,000 in cuts for the 2013 budget. So their schizophrenic approach to budgeting is to propose adding a $1 million dollar debt to purchase and rehab a building for municipal liquor.
A liquor store in the neighborhood is no more harmful to children than a church is beneficial. Both have patrons who are good, bad, ugly and beautiful. There are the righteous, the self-righteous, the rich, the poor, the criminal element, the donors, the addicts and the pious. You know, people just like you and me.
Anyway, the old downtown liquor store in Farmington was located one block away (next to the Subway) and no neighborhood problems arose from that site so I imagine this would be the same. But if they really want to stay in the liquor business and had the sense that God gave dirt they would look for a place on Highway 3 as that is where they would find the additional traffic they’re looking for.
January 19th, 2012 at 8:24 am
To the contrary, moving the liquor to a remote strip mall is far worse to the well being of the little angels than have a store near by. When I send my kids to the store on their bikes to go get Daddy a Colt45 and pack of Salems they could get hit crossing the streets, and that would be bad.
And if they don’t do it that means I have to get in the car and drive to the liquorporium which puts the entire spectrum of ages at risk. Much safer to keep the source close to home where we who patronize it can get to it.
January 19th, 2012 at 8:47 am
Sank just won the internets.
January 19th, 2012 at 9:05 am
Lakeville just spent $25K on its study about ditching municipal liquor and realized it was better to stick with it at this point. I can’t imagine Farmington’s situation could be much different. Sure, it would have been better if they had never gotten into it in the first place. But that train’s left the station and they’d likely be worse off if they changed course now.
And the idea that it cause harm by being in a residential area is dumb. There are plenty of liquor stores in residential areas in the south metro.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:14 am
- Unanimous citizen dissent.
- No mention of a cost-benefit analysis.
- $500K to $1 million spend during a time of budget/personnel cutting.
Why even bother bringing it up? Clearly it has all of the required elements of a south metro City Council decision. They’ll move forward with it.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:24 am
With studies like this,
http://www.osa.state.mn.us/Reports/gid/2009/liquor/liquor_09_report.pdf
I think it would be very difficult for a City to think a Municipal Liquor store would be idea. Being the only game in town, all the while selling an additive substance with profits going to the city general fund? The only way to lose money is having terrible management or absolutely no traffic.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:24 am
*bad idea
January 19th, 2012 at 10:26 am
The difference between Lakeville and Farmington’s liquor operations is that Lakeville actually makes money. Overall liquor sales in Farmington have been decreasing for several years now. In 2011 gross revenue exceeded expenses by less than $70K but the overall liquor fund balance decreased $15K from 2010.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:33 am
Chris, has any meaningful analysis been done to identify the root cause(s) of that decline?
Or is the Council doing what Councils do and just operating on assumptions that bigger/better/fancier/newer will cure it all?
January 19th, 2012 at 10:40 am
If your going to be in the liquor business you should have a good location with easy access. Not sure how the presence of a liquor store could mess up children. Do children not go the grocery store near its present location? Hell, children even go into the liquor store.
January 19th, 2012 at 11:00 am
Dear MSPD,
No meaningful studies. It’s all a wish and a prayer.
When they opened the Pilot Knob liquor store, they knew that three miles up the road a Target and an AV liquor store were coming. They did not think that was going to impact their store. They were wrong.
Adding to the AV competition is that fact that both Lakeville and Rosemount are shopping destinations (Cub, Target, Walgreens, fast food, etc.) with lots of liquor options, something Farmington lacks.
I wasn’t kidding about the Highway 3 option. South of Farmington there is a little off-sale at the Castle Rock Bar but nothing until Northfield. Not that I think it would save our municipal liquor but at least that would be filling a void as competing with the north is untenable.
January 19th, 2012 at 11:27 am
There’s still plenty of space in the new strip mall on Highway 3 where Blondie’s & Dunn Bros is located. Not the greatest access (Highway 3 really needs center turn lanes) but located near people, and on a high-traffic road. Maybe that would be a better fit.
Funny, that shopping plaza in downtown is getting abandoned fast! Burger King (across the road) closed, Ace Hardware is moving to the old Allina Clinic building on Highway 3, they want to move the liquor store out, and the other side of the strip mall is usually 50% or less occupied. The coffee shop was just the beginning of the decline. Hard to find a reason to go there any more. Plus, I will never (NEVER, do you hear me?) step foot in that piece of garbage grocery store again. It was bad enough when it was an Econo Food, but after their remodel & re-branding, it has to be the worst grocery store I’ve ever stepped foot in.
January 19th, 2012 at 11:33 am
“Resident #2″ is the kind of person that makes me not want to know other people for fear I might meet this one.
Like many have said, what is the correlation between the location of a liquor store and crime/drunks/bad for kids? It makes no sense.
But her “not in my yard” mentality makes me want to throw up. Sure, it is fine for the perceived “issues and the drunks” to be in a poor person’s neighborhood, but not in her exclusive Farmington McMansion, no sirree bob.
She probably does not even know that she is strengthening the motive to put it there just because she is such a miserable sourpuss.
January 19th, 2012 at 11:37 am
Lefty, there are no McMansions in downtown Farmington. But the fact it is currently three blocks away makes it all the more ridiculous.
January 19th, 2012 at 11:54 am
McMansions is a relative term.
Every city has them, even if they are in a trailer park.
January 19th, 2012 at 11:57 am
Not that I know of. It’s refers to cheaply made and large newly constructed homes only. Wikipedia agrees: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMansion
Downtown Farmington are “historic”.
January 19th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
I challenge you to come up with that fun fact yesterday!
January 19th, 2012 at 12:50 pm
Resident 2 is a classic NIMBY.
Who owns the building they are planning on spending 100K to renovate? Has to be some tie to the council. One of them owns the buidling, or has a brother in law or cousin who owns it, or is in the construction business and plans to get the contract, etc.
I have little respect for most of our elected officials, but they cant be so dumb as to do this just for the sake of doing it. Someone is profiting someplace. Which, likely, is criminal on some level.
January 19th, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Here ya go:
http://gis2.co.dakota.mn.us/PropertyCard/PropertyCard.aspx?pin=147700024020
January 19th, 2012 at 7:15 pm
Wonder if those Larson’s are any relation to the Farmington Mayor Larson.
January 22nd, 2012 at 5:48 pm
Farmington is out $367,000 and has ~4,000 square feet of available space in City Hall they’re trying to rent out but they’re looking to move the liquor store and pay big dollars to renovate/purchase new?
http://www.startribune.com/local/south/137615173.html
January 24th, 2012 at 9:25 am
Plans to move the store have been put on hold: http://www.thisweeklive.com/2012/01/24/city-will-not-move-downtown-liquor-storefor-now/
January 24th, 2012 at 10:23 am
Shocking! (and that’s not facetious) They’re actually going to do a thorough analysis before cramming this through.
January 24th, 2012 at 10:40 am
Yeah, in Farmington.
January 24th, 2012 at 11:03 am
Come on Lefty, everyone knows nothing drives the economy like boutiques and specialty organic shops! As they say when the economy is down, “When the going gets tough, the tough shop boutiques!”
January 24th, 2012 at 11:09 am
What the heck? I am now collaborating with Joey? I even thumbs upped him? Aarrgh…
I am getting soft on this place. Can someone please start astroturfing or defending the BPAC? I have a reputation to uphold.
January 24th, 2012 at 11:15 am
Hey, I’ve thumbs-upped you recently as well. Sometimes I even read your comments. ;)
January 24th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
Get a room, you two.
January 24th, 2012 at 3:21 pm
Young love is so cute.
January 26th, 2012 at 10:52 am
Editorial in the Farmington Independent about the liquor operations:
May 17th, 2012 at 5:38 pm
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Thisweeklivecom/~3/8my2itFFsRc/