ALPHARETTA, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Monday night the Alpharetta City Council voted unanimously to reduce the buffer for alcohol sales near churches and schools from 300 feet to 50 feet in parts of the downtown district.
The vote comes after council members redrew the lines for the new downtown entertainment district to accommodate three nearby churches.
The new lines allow those churches to keep their 300-foot buffer from where alcohol is sold.
Meanwhile, in an effort to encourage redevelopment, council members voted to change the buffer to 50 feet in the newly downtown entertainment district.
"As Mayor David Belle Isle pointed out he met with church leadership and they further examined the distance requirements what they actually mean and how they were defined and how they were measured. And church leadership felt comfortable with those," said Peter Tokar, economic development director for the city.
The new shorter distance requirements only allows for on-premises consumption of alcohol in restaurants or during downtown festivals. It does no include or allow for retail package stores.
A second vote is required before officially changing the ordinance.
That vote is slated for Aug. 6.
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