City panel OKs sale of alcohol at Bottom Dollars

June 22, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

The city’s planning commission is recommending a supermarket chain wanting to open three grocery stores in Youngstown be permitted to sell beer and wine for carry-out.

The commission voted 5-0 Tuesday in favor of the recommendations for Bottom Dollar Food, which wants to build grocery stores at 890 E. Midlothian Boulevard, 621 W. Princeton Ave. and 3377 Mahoning Ave.

“We’re excited to have three sites coming to Youngstown,” said Susan Johnson, a Bottom Dollar representative. “It’s our first venture into Ohio.”

The three locations are “regulated-use” businesses, under the city’s zoning law.

The city requires those businesses to obtain waivers to sell carry-out beer and wine if they are within 500 feet of other regulated-use businesses. Regulated-use businesses include bars, establishments that sell carry-out beer and wine, pool halls, tattoo parlors, payday lending operations, Internet gaming cafes, secondhand stores and adult bookstores and theaters.

Bottom Dollar still needs to get carry-out licenses from the state and city council’s approval for the regulated-use waivers.

City council will consider legislation today for a 10-year, 75-percent real-property tax abatement on the West Princeton Avenue store. Bottom Dollar is spending $4.72 million on the store, slated to open in February 2012.

Council approved a similar tax abatement for the East Midlothian Boulevard store last month. That supermarket, estimated to cost $6.52 million to $7.75 million to build, is expected to open in November. Council will vote on the abatement again today because the ordinance last month didn’t include the store’s location.

Also today, council will consider legislation to provide $100,000 each to the Midlothian and Princeton stores for water-utility expenses.

Council will consider waiving fees today for building permits and water and sewer tap-ins for those two stores as well as the Mahoning Avenue location in the Mahoning Plaza. It isn’t known when that store will open or its cost.

The tax abatements, money for water-utility expenses and waiving of fees must be finalized by the city’s board of control.