City panel favors loosening controls on downtown liquor sales
Buying and selling booze in downtown Las Vegas could be even easier under two proposed city ordinances.
On Tuesday the City Council’s recommending committee heard the proposals that would loosen some alcohol restrictions under the Fremont Street Experience canopy and in the 18b Arts District.
The changes are contained in two proposed ordinances that were approved by the committee 3-0. The are eligible to go to the full council July 10.
One ordinance would change city code to allow businesses along the Fremont Street Experience pedestrian mall to sell alcohol through walk-up windows, which are currently prohibited in the city.
Deputy City Attorney Val Steed said the change is needed because the recent renovation of the Golden Nugget already included such a window.
The windows would only be allowed along the pedestrian walkway and would remain prohibited along cross streets where vehicle traffic is allowed.
Steed assured Councilman Bob Coffin, who is on the committee, that the change would not eliminate the prohibition on selling alcohol through drive-up windows.
Councilman Ricki Barlow, also on the committee, noted the change is limited to businesses that already have tavern licenses and wouldn’t result in unregulated alcohol sales.
“They would still need to go through all the approval processes,” said Barlow, who attended the meeting by phone.
The other alcohol-related proposal would affect taverns in the 18b Arts District. Under the ordinance the people would be able to operate bars in the district under tavern-limited licenses.
The licenses are available for small venues that provide live music entertainment and don’t offer gambling machines.
Previously those licenses were limited to the Fremont East Entertainment District. A previous change expanded the area for tavern limited licenses to the entire downtown area. The latest proposal specifically includes the Arts District by name to make it clear such licences are available in that area.
In addition to the changes on the agenda, city business licensing manager Karen Duddlesten said more are on the way. Duddlesten said next month she expects a proposal that would make it easier for gallery owners to serve beer and wine at exhibit openings.
Duddlesten said the proposal will likely call for a permit good for four hours that would allow gallery operators to offer beer and wine for events.
It’s a welcome change for Dick Geyer, former president of the Arts District neighborhood association who attended the recommending committee meeting.
“We had been asking for this for over 10 years,” Geyer said. “This is a wonderful move forward for many, many galleries in the Arts District.”
Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285 .
