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By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR The city is getting ready to offer its third and final liquor license for sale to a restaurant operator. The Board of Commissioners discussed the sale, which they hope could be completed in time for the start of the summer season.
The license is the last of three licenses the city is qualified for based on population. The first and second licenses went to restaurant operators who rehabilitated existing properties, including Santucci's Original Square Pizza, which rebuilt at the old Arrow Hardware store, and the soon-to-open Ventnor Square Theater, which will include the Ventnor Social Club/Nucky's Lounge, a speakeasy styled restaurant on the second floor of the rehabbed theater.
Voters overwhelmingly approved offering liquor consumptions licenses in a 2016 referendum.
After discussion with city attorney Tim Maguire, the board agreed to consider a resolution at an upcoming meeting setting the minimum bid price at $115,000. The first license sold to Santucci's drew $77,100 and the second sold to Ventnor Square Theater drew $91,100.
The new offering may include a clause encouraging the license holder to have an outdoor service area contiguous to the restaurant they own but is not part of the city's right-of-way. However, Maguire said the outdoor dining space clause only comes into play if there were tied bids.
At the end of the day, the high bidder wins, Maguire said.
Not only do we desire it...it's an economic thing, Commissioner Lance Landgraf said. The businesses that did the best (through the pandemic) had outdoor space.
However, it was agreed that there may not be an existing restaurant that has outdoor space, so it will not be a requirement to bid.
The bid offering will include all the restrictions in the city's existing ordinance, such as being a full service restaurant with no package sales. Maguire suggested it be limited to existing restaurants.
I'm not sure why we would limit ourselves that way, Commissioner Tim Kriebel said. If there is another company that would want to do what we already have done twice, why would we limit ourselves?
A restaurant owner could repurpose an existing building, which is what was done by both existing license holders, Kriebel said.
After discussion, the board agreed that it would also offer the license to a developer who can show it will be ready to open a restaurant within 24 months.
We built in a time constraint, so (the license) could not be held in pocket, Kriebel said. Someone might want to take a gamble like Santucci's or the theater on a large project.
Maguire said the resolution would be up for consideration at the next or the following meeting.
The board also held a somewhat contentious discussion about instituting a license for sellers of electronic cigarettes but held off taking any action on the matter.
An ordinance creating the licensing program was pulled from a prior agenda and the board discussed it at Thursday's meeting.
Mayor Beth Holtzman said it didn't make sense to have an ordinance regulating the sale of electronic smoking devices when it does not have a license to regulate the sale of cigarettes, which is governed by a higher government authority the State of New Jersey.
Why would we do an ordinance to charge businesses to get a license to sell something when we don't do a separate license to sell cigarettes? she said.
Maguire said license fees could be optional or as little as $100.
We should do everything we can to stop kids from smoking, said Landgraf, who supports the license ordinance. If we can do anything to discourage any use of these things by kids, I'm in favor of.
Landgraf said he wants to add another level of penalty for selling to youths.
If we put it on the agenda, I would vote against it, said Holtzman, who uses vaping products.
In January 2020, Gov. Phil Murphy signed the first legislation in the country banning the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. Only sales of tobacco flavored e-liquids are allowed. The legislation was based on the recommendations in the Electronic_Smoking_Device_Task_Force_Report.
The nicotine in e-cigarettes is just as harmful as that of traditional cigarettes, yet many people may not realize just how detrimental nicotine really is for anyone under the age of 25, the bill's co-sponsor, Assemblywoman Carol Murphy said when the legislation was signed into law. Nicotine can expose developing brains to negative effects such as addiction, mood disorders and lower impulse control. Many teens are even worried about the damage vaping can do to their health but are too addicted to stop. It's our responsibility to help them by doing everything in our power to limit the appeal of and access to these products going forward.
Landgraf agreed to table the discussion for a later date.
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