Grumpy’s can pursue alcohol permit

Beer and wine sales are on the horizon for Grumpy’s Pizza in Clarendon after City Hall discovered last week that the restaurant actually is in compliance with the local alcohol ordinance.

For more than a year, the city has held that Grumpy’s is too close to the Agapé Christian Church to be able to sell alcoholic beverages, but a third approach to the City Council last week resulted in a new measurement that has opened the door for the restaurant to receive a permit.

“We’ve lost revenue for the city and for us,” said Grumpy’s co-owner Calvin Holland, “but that’s water under the bridge now. It turns out they never even had to make a decision.”

City ordinance prohibits establishments selling alcohol within 300 feet of a church, and the pizza restaurant and the church are on opposite sides of Faker Street at the intersection of Second Street. When the city measured the distance between the front doors of the two locations last year, the restaurant came up about eight feet too close to the church.

That led the restaurant’s owners with two options – move their front door or ask the city for a variance. They made variance requests at two city meetings last September, but both times resulted in no action by the city council. Then at last week’s council meeting on November 12, Holland was again on the agenda to request a variance.

Discussion at the meeting showed little support for a variance but no opposition to Holland’s suggestion that restaurant might move its front door further east. He then requested the city re-measure.

“We have a new city manager, and he was really helpful,” Holland’s wife, Leanne, said. “He investigated and made sure everything was done right.”

City Administrator David Dockery said he discovered that last year the city measured from what the church considers its main entrance – a double door facing Faker Street and Grumpy’s – and that following the state’s measuring guidelines from there, the distance does come about eight feet short.

However, Dockery also discovered that the state requires measurements be made from “front door to front door” and the “front door” is defined by a property’s address. In case of the Agapé Christian Church, its address is actually 712 E. Second and a door facing US 287.

“That measurement is 335 feet,” Dockery said.

Grumpy’s now is moving ahead with its alcohol permit application with no need for a variance. A required 90-day posting in the restaurant’s window that has already been up for about 30 days, which means if all goes well, beer and wine could be on the menu there by the end of January.

“We’re excited,” Leanne Holland said. “We feel like we’ve lost customers. People want beer and wine with Italian food and pizza. I’m just glad he [Dockery] took the time to do things right.”