COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Are there too many bars and booze stores in Coldwater? It was a topic for discussion at last night’s meeting of the Coldwater City Council.
Steve Smith of Coldwater brought up the issue at the beginning of the Council meeting during the public comment period and told of his concerns being sparked lately with the construction of a new convenience store downtown on West Chicago street that he said would include an inventory of liquor and beer.
According to Smith, the state has already issued 78 liquor licenses in Branch County including a total of 42 in Coldwater and Coldwater Township. He quizzed the council, when is enough, enough? Smith said when he canvassed the city, driving from the west end of town to the east side, he personally counted about 30 such establishments, between the bars, retail stores, clubs, and convenience stores and that works out to one such business for every tenth of a mile.
Smith, who is a volunteer counselor at the Branch County jail, said there is a significant number in the county addicted to liquor with very little help for such people and he’s seen first-hand the related problems, including family breakups.
While asking the Coldwater City Council to exercise prudence when issuing licenses to such businesses, City Manager Jeff Budd later reminded Smith that if a private property owner wants to operate such an establishment and is properly licensed by the state, the city has very little discretion on location if it meets zoning requirements. According to Budd, if there’s no valid reason to deny, the city would be sued if it rejected such a project based on moral grounds or such.
