Council waives 2021 liquor fees for Rochester establishments
Rochester’s bars and restaurants will not have to pay their liquor license fees in 2021, the Rochester City Council confirmed Monday, extending a key portion of the city’s relief efforts for an industry that took a major economic hit due to Covid-19.
The cost of implementing the waiver — roughly $636,000 — will come from the city’s $17.1 million American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds. It’s the second program that’s been paid for through ARPA funding, the first being $70,000 to make Rochester’s public swimming pools free this summer.
Monday’s move follows action taken in December 2020, when the city offered grants to bars and restaurants to fully recoup their 2020 liquor fees. All “on-sale” establishments (that’s businesses where you drink the liquor on site) will remain fee-free until 2022, but the city confirmed there will be no more extensions of the waiver past that point.
Council members voted unanimously to approve the measure, saying the extended waiver would give the local hospitality industry time to improve their bottom lines throughout the summer, while also providing a firm restart date that businesses can plan for.
“I think this is a way to be more surgical,” said Council Member Patrick Keane. “The idea of passing this ordinance really makes clear to the public and the hospitality industry that we’re back to normal business in 2022.”
Once the fees go back into effect, Rochester’s liquor-serving establishments will be subject to heftier price tags, thanks to an overhauling of the city’s licensing process approved by the previous council in July 2020. Restaurants will have to pay upwards of $5,100 for their yearly license in 2022 and beyond, as opposed to the previous flat rate of $3200. (A full breakdown of the city’s updated liquor licenses and fees can be found here.)
“This is a great plan,” said Council Member Mark Bransford. “The fees have gone up significantly, and I understand that, but our hospitality industry has been cratered, and this is an opportunity to at least do something for them.”
City officials say official communication will be sent to bars and restaurants by the end of the month.
Technology Park Apartments Move Forward
Also on Monday, the Council gave clearance to an affordable housing project that was left in limbo the last time the body met.
In a 5-2 vote, council members approved preliminary plans for the second phase of Technology Park Apartments, a proposed 141-unit complex between West Circle Drive and Valleyhigh Drive NW. (Council Members Nick Campion and Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick were the two dissenting votes.)
Like the first complex, three-quarters of the new building is expected to be classified as affordable housing — around 55 units at 60 percent area median income (AMI), with another 49 at 80 percent AMI.
Council discussion Monday was minimal, but before the vote, Council Member Shaun Palmer said the project would be a key component to adding workforce housing in Rochester — even in a location not specifically zoned for housing. (The site is under M-1, which calls for a mix of commercial and industrial buildings. No zoning changes are required.)
“It’s 141 units that we need, it’s a secondary unit from the other one, and that one’s full,” said Palmer. “I think this is a great use for that property, and I’m looking forward to it coming to Rochester.”
The project has come in front of the council twice previously, but each time, a decision was tabled. Most recently, the council delayed a final decision in May to give city staff time to look into access to parkland. Badger Ridge Park — the closest park to the site — is roughly a mile away, and residents would be required to cross West Circle Drive to get there.
On Monday, however, city officials said further improvements were not needed — suggesting that with recent construction on the intersection of West Circle Drive and 26th Street NW, enhancing the pedestrian walkways would be sufficient.
Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.
Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the future cost for liquor licences. A full-intoxicating restaurant license will cost $5,100 for 2022-23.
