PHOENIX β A House panel voted Tuesday to make it easier for liquor stores to move closer, or next door, to schools and churches.
On a 5-3 vote the Committee on Rural and Economic Development agreed existing law, which requires a buffer of at least 300 feet, should be scrapped.
Under HB 2373, that buffer would not apply to stores of at least 4,500 square feet β as long as liquor sales comprise less than half their business and they also offer fresh produce for sale.
Several neighborhood activists objected.
βWe need your help to protect our children and places of worship,β said resident Jeff Spellman.
Lawmakers who supported the change were more swayed by comments of lobbyist Mike Williams, who crafted the legislation. He represents Circle K Corp. as well as other convenience stories.
The approval of HB 2373 was actually one of two losses Tuesday for neighborhood groups. The same panel also approved HB 2182, which would remove existing limits on how often small beer and wine shops can conduct βtastingsβ for customers.
Both measures now go to the full House.
Williams told lawmakers his clients have no interest in moving next door to traditional churches.
The problem, he said, is new congregations pop up in rental spaces in places such as strip malls.
βWhat weβre talking about is grocery stores and food stores that are having a hard time,β Williams said.
He conceded part of the reason Circle K wants the change is that it is abandoning some of its smaller, older stores in favor of newer, bigger ones.
Lawrie Fitzhugh, one of the neighborhood activists, said there are studies linking the proximity of where liquor is sold and underage drinking. And she cited a 2011 study done by Arizona State University showing police responding to a high number of calls at Circle K stores.
Williams called that study flawed, saying it failed to take into account that sometimes people who need help will go to a Circle K for safety.
