A request for a conditional use permit for Hilltop Liquors at 165 W. PIckens Road has been deemed ineligible by Alcohol Beverage Control Board investigator Bill Kruse. The request, presented to the Pea Ridge Planning Commission by property owner Chuck Simmons, was denied. Simmons appealed to the City Council.
Police Chief Tim Ledbetter said he called the ABC office in Little Rock after receiving a copy of the letter from Kruse and was told that Simmons’ name is still in the hopper for the drawing to be held June 12. If drawn, the property will be declined because of being within the 1,000-foot distance from a church.
During the initial inspection, the site for the proposed retail liquor sales was stated as 1,068.67 feet from Pea Ridge Methodist Church on North Davis Street.
It was measured again by Kruse using a GPS Visualizer and found to be 969 feet. Kruse wrote that Simmons’ attorney, Justin Kavalir, contacted him asking for a third measurement.
Kruse remeasured, this time using “Measure Your Land,” and found the store building to be 976.9 feet from the Pea Ridge United Methodist Church .
The question of appeal is still on the June 18 City Council agenda.
“We still will give it due diligence,” Mayor Jackie Crabtree said of the Council considering the appeal. “I still feel like the Planning Commission did their due diligence and I feel like we need to stick with that.”
The property sits between the two school properties.
“This would be a concern of the School District,” Rick Neal, superintendent, said. “The safety and security of staff and students is the main concern. The main artery on which students is transported between campuses must be a route without concern.
“The sale of alcohol adjacent to school facilities increases the level of driver safety especially with parents, bus drivers and school personnel.”
News, Pages 1 on 06/05/2013