Sunday liquor sales headed for the ballot in Senoia

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

Would you like a mimosa with your Sunday lunch in Senoia?

That appears the question residents will answer this fall, as the Senoia City Council passed the first read for a referendum calling for Sunday sales by the drink.

City attorney Drew Whalen explained that a separate referendum is needed to be approved by the voters to allow Sunday sales. Last fall, voters approved liquor-by-the-drink sales in the growing eastern Coweta city, and last month the City Council put the final touches on the ordinance.

Now, voters will have to head to the polls in November to see if they want to expand the liquor ordinance to allow Sunday sales.

Whalen said sales would be allowed from 12:30 p.m.-midnight on Sundays, which is the state guideline.

If it’s passed, Senoia would be the only city in Coweta County to allow Sunday sales. The City Council will conduct the second reading of the ordinance Aug. 15.

In other actions, the City Council denied an annexation request by developer Tom Reese, who wanted to annex 260 acres on Ga. Highway 16, near the Cumberland subdivision. He wants to build 235 homes on half-acre lots on the property and said the homes would be priced from the $350’s-$450’s.

The property would be rezoned to R-40 Conservation Subdivision in the city, which would leave more than half the property as greenspace. Reese also offered to donate 50 acres of the greenspace to the city to expand the sewer spray fields.

“We would pick up another 170,000 gallons a day in capacity,” said Mayor Bob Hannah.

But the City Council was not sold on the idea.

“If you use that land for a spray field, then it’s not greenspace,” said Councilman Robert Belisle.

The council voted 4-0 to deny the annexation, with Hannah deciding not to vote on the issue.


		Friday, Aug. 5, 2005