The TC voted, 5-0, on Aug. 4 to grant the license transfer to Atul Gupta, who acquired the license from the former Boyden Pantry at Boyden Avenue and Jacoby Street about eight months ago. He hopes to open a new store there by November 1 to be named Maplewood Wine Barrel. He also operates a store in Boonton.
The store would be the third such liquor seller on Springfield Avenue, which includes the mini mart shop near Parkwood Diner and the liquor store next to 7-11. Two other such shops, next to Scoops and Soups and across from Dunkin' Donuts, have shutdown in the past two years.
Several residents, however, are objecting to the license approval, claiming it will hurt the area. A copy of an appeal being prepared includes statements from letters residents have sent to Mayor Vic De Luca opposing the plan.
Among them:
Dear Mayor DeLuca and Friends, At least you did not approve a marijuana dispensary as our neighbor, but in our opinion, approving a liquor store on the corner of Springfield and Prospect is not that much better.
Mr. Mayor & Members of the Town Committee: I’m writing to express our serious disappointment and objection to the town’s decision to approve a liquor store on the corner of Springfield and Prospect. I know there are other neighbors of mine that have already written to you explaining why we believe this will be a terrible addition to our neighborhood, so I would instead like to focus on the process by which this was approved. I would consider my family to be very civically aware and active in Maplewood. We vote, serve on the PTA, follow town happenings, etc. That a liquor store on the corner was being considered was never publicized in any real way and we were never given an opportunity to even present our views on this matter.
Vic, Thank you for your follow up. I have been corresponding with all my neighbors and no one is happy about this liquor store. There are many new families with young kids in the area and everyone is working hard to renovate their houses and yards to improve the area. This liquor store completely defeats the purpose of all this hard work.
Dear Mayor DeLuca, I want to echo what my neighbors and friends ... have expressed today. I've given this much thought and ultimately I am at a loss to understand how the Township Committee determined it would be in this community's best interests to open a supersized alcohol distribution center abutting a residential neighborhood populated with young children. If the totality of the Committee's response is that you followed protocol and this store will be different because it sells "craft" beer and wines, frankly that is not acceptable or fair to the members of this community. Following protocol does not excuse what appears to be a unilateral exercise of poor judgment.
Dear Mayor DeLuca, It has come to my attention, as well as to my neighbors, that the Township approved a liquor store to be located at Springfield Avenue and Prospect Street. It is very disheartening to learn about this without having any idea it was even a possibility. We agree that Springfield Avenue needs new businesses, however, a large liquor store on that corner is not the type of business needed in our neighborhood ... I am very concerned, as are all of my neighbors, about this type of business being located right here. Additionally, children frequent that corner, as they walk to and from schools. There is also St. Joseph's Church nearby and I believe there is some type of ordinance about how far a liquor store can be located from the church.
The Township Clerk's office has had many inquiries about the license from residents.
Mayor De Luca declined to comment, stating via email, "Since this is an appeal to the State of NJ of an action of the Maplewood Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (Township Committee), I cannot comment."
Mayor De Luca declined to comment, stating via email, "Since this is an appeal to the State of NJ of an action of the Maplewood Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (Township Committee), I cannot comment."
5 comments:
We are still researching the ABC appeal process to see if it is worth the effort, since the township already approved the license. It would have been nice to have a collaborative effort with the township from the beginning. I would not say there is one person leading the opposition or appeal, we are just a groups of friends and families on the adjacent blocks around the Santander Bank site who are a little frustrated that we were not informed of the proposal or at least given an opportunity to provide comments prior to the approval. The ABC actually encourages a certain level of public notification to help inform the community.
After all, this is going to be the largest liquor store in Maplewood at 5,000 sf of retail space, which is 2 to 3 times the other liquor stores in the area, and located on the busiest corner in Maplewood, next to a residential neighborhood filled with young families. Currently there are two liquor stores which are two blocks away on Springfield Avenue, and there are two wine stores located in Maplewood Village and a number of large liquor stores located within a 15 minute drive. We are sure the township had good intensions, but if they would have asked the neighbors which program they would prefer at the site, most would have not answered a large liquor store, although some type of restaurant establishment with wine might have been mentioned.
Given the relatively slow revitalization along Springfield Avenue, the Santander Bank site is a great location/building and would have been a great location to have a social active program to help activate the intersection of Springfield and Prospect, imagine a socially active program like an Arturo's Pizzeria on the ground floor and wine bar with a wine store selection on the top floor. This would catalyze the intersection, complementing Verjus and Parkwood diner. Liquor stores are typically just filler spaces in urban blocks because they are socially dead, not anchors in prominent locations, which also make them susceptible to crime and does not enhance the quality of life of a neighborhood. Traffic congestion and safety is also a concern at this busy intersection. Yes, people will use the liquor store, but is this the best thing for the neighborhood.
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