LANSING, Mich — The Lansing City Council unanimously passed a package of ordinances on Monday to restrict the proximity of new liquor stores.
Neighbors have complained for years that alcohol is not hard to come by in Lansing, noting the high number of liquor stores and their locations.
"Yes haha, there are a lot of liquor stores," said resident Jill Dombrowski.
Some residents pointed out that the businesses are heavily located in specific neighborhoods.
"There are more than abundance of stores throughout the city, but they are concentrated in the lower income parts of town.. like south of 496 and mount hope," said resident Loretta Stanaway.
Those concerns eventually made their way to local government, leading to the new zoning rules. Councilwoman Deyanira Nevarez Martinez believes the package of ordinances will help bring balance back to the city.
"There’s an over saturation of this kind of business… so we are trying to restore a sense of balance," Nevarez Martinez said.
The new rules dictate how close new alcohol retailers can be to one another.
"We’re implementing stricter zoning restrictions requiring new liquor stores to be at least 2500 feet apart to address that over saturation," Nevarez Martinez said.
The stricter proximity clause only applies to new liquor stores. Businesses that were already set up prior to the change will not be impacted.
"They are grandfathered into what usually exists… so now that the ordinance is in place it's for liquor stores coming after," Nevarez Martinez said.
Some neighbors are on board with the change, believing it could open the door for other types of businesses to come to Lansing.
"I’d like to see businesses that are more community gathering.. places like coffee shops, restaurants and just safe spaces where people could come and meet up with friends and family," Dombrowski said.
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