Mack asks council to strike down alcohol ordinance

Thursday, June 16, 2005 | 9:01 a.m.

Citing "concern from constituents," Las Vegas City Councilman Michael Mack asked his fellow council members to strike down his proposal to ease restrictions on alcohol sales close to churches, schools, child care centers, and city parks.

The council voted 7-0 to kill a proposed ordinance that would have allowed smaller retail stores to seek a special waiver to the city law that requires alcohol sales be at least 400 feet from those places.

The proposal drew criticism from some of his fellow council members and some residents.

Currently, the waiver of the distance requirement is only available to stores between 20,000 and 50,000 square feet, roughly the size of large drug stores or small grocery stores, so long as no more than 10 percent of the store's floor space is taken up by the display and merchandising of the alcohol.

The proposed change would have allowed stores as small as 1,200 square feet, the size of large convenience stores or drug stores, to seek the waiver too.

Mack proposed the change at the request of a shopping center developer, but said before the meeting that he wasn't sure whether it was a good idea.