2 bars per block rule should it stay or go (for sale, zoning) - Salt Lake City area - Utah (UT) -Salt Lake County - Davis County - Weber County - City-Data Forum

ebreezy · 08-23-2009, 02:40 AM

i was wondering mormon and non-mormon, with the new city creek center being built within the nexts few years do you think the mayor of salt lake city will the rule approved and lifted from the state legislature and governor gary hebert to end this silly liquor license quotas base on the population. it seems like it would benfit bringing more outside business as well local business to open more bars nite clubs and resturant to make salt lake city more of vibrate city.

kwm03160 · 08-23-2009, 10:39 AM

I think it should go... but the state needs to authorize more liquor licenses before it would make any difference.

SouthernBelleInUtah · 08-23-2009, 11:45 AM

City Creek is owned by the LDS Church, so I don't see any possibility of there being bars all over it. Downtown is the only area I would think suitable for more bars per block.

frogandtoad · 08-23-2009, 12:37 PM

there should be as many bars as the community supports. Meaning, if you open 100 bars and enough people frequent them, then they should all stay. If you open 100 and 50 go out of business b/c not enough people go to them, well then there should be 50 bars.

The arbitrary license thing is ridiculous. Whatever the economic market/demand can support is what there should be.

kwm03160 · 08-23-2009, 04:00 PM

With City Creek... the Church is planning on selling the land below it to entities that want to serve alcohol (bars, restaruants, etc.). That way, they can "skirt" around their no liquor policies. The Curch will still continue to own the other parts of the center.

Lmejh · 08-23-2009, 08:08 PM

Gary Herbert is not going to change that rule - something tells me he's going to take the state in the wrong direction. I'll miss Jon Huntsman.

ebreezy · 08-23-2009, 08:36 PM

i have a funny feeling too that gary herbert is going to take the state of utah in the wrong direction as well.....also i think the church have a fear of taking big risk to bring new business to the state. but that is just my gut feeling and just end all this silly liquor laws and just be like the rest of the united state. my thing is the people of utah who want changes on this issue need to start petition on this to make it loud and clear that the folks of utah want change not socialism.

5280milehiguy · 08-25-2009, 11:35 AM

Gary H will not be a tenth as progressive as was Hunstman. I curse Obama for taking him away from Utah, even on his first year of the second term. He is already missed and the current governor will not make any room for liberalizing the current laws, just don't take what we just got away (no memberships).

dcisive · 08-25-2009, 12:01 PM

Progressive? Give me a friggen brake. If Huntsman had his way he'd sell the state to the highest bidder. There are "some" things NOT for sale or at least shouldn't be. However some politicians look only at the dollar signs and not on the side of some level of preservation. Huntsman can go over and speak all the Chinese he wants, after all he did enough of that when he was governor here. I won't miss him a bit.....but I'll say this proudly.....I am NOT a wild expansionist as some are in Utah. I'd rather improve upon what we have instead of just keeping the growth unbridled. It's what got us into this pickle in the first place. It's a good thing there is no time machine as I'd be cranking that bad boy back to about the mid to late 70's, before we brought the gang and growth issues to the State. Oh and nope, I'm not LDS FWIW..........

markg91359 · 08-27-2009, 08:33 AM

there should be as many bars as the community supports. Meaning, if you open 100 bars and enough people frequent them, then they should all stay. If you open 100 and 50 go out of business b/c not enough people go to them, well then there should be 50 bars.

The arbitrary license thing is ridiculous. Whatever the economic market/demand can support is what there should be.

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I am not an opponent of liberalizing Utah's liquor laws. I will say that I think DABC ought to issue more licenses. Still I reject the libertarian approach you advocate here. Selling liquor isn't like selling groceries and even grocery stores are subject to zoning regulations because of parking and issues with crowds. Selling liquor involves certain inherent externalities that impose costs on society at large.

While most drinkers are pretty responsible there is a segment of that population which is not. Regulations which limit the number of bars and restrict their locations help curb activities like drunk driving. Another often unspoken issue is that while most drinkers are not alcoholics, bars always end up serving liquor to alcoholics and thereby facilitating alcoholism.

Even without the problems I list above, I'm not a huge fan of bars anyway. The prices charged for alcoholic drinks in a bar are ridiculously high. Its a good way to take money from a segment of the population which is often young and naive and thinks it needs the society and camraderie that a bar or club provides. I see what bars do as exploiting a vulnerable segment of the population.

All states regulate the liquor trade and all states should.