July 3, 2006

City Council OKs BevMo

By Carol Rosen
Editor

During a late-night session, the San Jose City Council unanimously gave its approval to BevMo to open on Lincoln Avenue.

There had been widespread disagreement among the people of Willow Glen as to whether the upscale liquor store should join the area, which already has several stores selling wines and liquor.

San Jose’s Planning Department had turned down BevMo for two conditional use permits as required by the city. The matter then went to the full council, which was presented a memo from District 6 Councilman Ken Yeager delineating a list of requirements BevMo would follow. BevMo already had announced some of the requirements as its methods of doing business.

Among those outlined in Yeager’s memo are:

- The store close by 9 p.m.

- Limit wine tastings to Friday evening and Saturday afternoons. There will be 12 special days designated by BevMo and maintained in writing on site for possible review by the planning department.

- BevMo must maintain the proposed percentage of food, wine accessories and barware, non-alcoholic beverages and glassware in this store.

- Future modifications to the floor plan requires a permit amendment.

- BevMo must submit a shopping cart management plan that prohibits carts from leaving the store through the Lincoln Avenue exit and retrieves the carts from the parking lot every 15 minutes, and that the carts have devices that don’t allow their removal from the parking lot.

- BevMo offers carry-out assistance on large orders to eliminate carts from blocking parking.

- The store conduct in-store training to employees on shopping cart and cleanliness issues to ensure BevMo remains a good neighbor.

- Ensure that BevMo work with the property owner to find out if the store can have several dedicated parking spots for customers to use for easy loading.

- And, accept property owner Michael Mulcahy’s offer to work with the city’s Office of Economic Development and the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association to improve parking and make the parking lots more customer friendly.

In his memo, which Yeager wrote after he conferred with BevMo co-founder Steve McLaren and property owner Michael Mulcahy, the council member for the Willow Glen area also mentioned that the business is consistent with the
WGBPA’s strategic plan in that it provides another evening retail establishment, has potential for creating pedestrian traffic, in a mid-to high-mid end shop, is a specialty and lifestyle retail, the business has been long established and provides specialized customer service, is moving into an existing building that will not change downtown ambience and will attract mid- to high -income customers.

Yeager also reiterated what McLaren told Willow Glen residents at a community meeting and at the planning commission meeting, that the store prohibits sales of cigarettes and alcohol products such as 40-ounce malt liquor, low-priced screw top wines and pints/half pints of spirits. The company also discourages facilities and items that encourage loitering or attracts minors, such as video and pinball games, pornographic videos and magazines, pay phones, lottery tickets and newspaper stands. People under 21 are not allowed in the store unless accompanied by an adult.

Discussion
As in past meetings, the concept provided a great deal of debate. Most of the public comment leaned toward acceptance, with some individuals from the area noting that the market will determine success or failure. Some residents expressed concern about traffic, parking, shopping carts and large trucks making deliveries.

McLaren rebutted most of those including the deliveries by noting that since the store was smaller, smaller vans would deliver most of the products.

Others expressed concerns that large corporations and chin stores moving onto Lincoln Avenue will disrupt the homey, neighborhood feel. Those sentiments were discounted by several people from the WGBPA, who noted that their objective is to fill the retail space and to entice customers to shop along the avenue.

Property owner Mulcahy also spoke. He noted the work BevMo had committed to be able to fit into the neighborhood
In the end, the business application was up to the City Council and they OKed it!