Wal-Mart applies to sell alcohol at SM store
Wal-Mart hopes to add Budweiser and pinot noir to the shelves of its Santa Maria store.
The discount retailer has applied to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) for a license to sell beer and wine. If granted, the permit would allow the sales of packaged beer and wine for consumption off the premises.
The Santa Maria City Council is expected to consider on Jan. 6 whether it would be in the "public convenience" for Wal-Mart to sell beer and wine from its store in the Crossroads shopping center, a finding that is one of the final steps before the Bentonville, Ark.-based company can receive a transferred "Type 20" license from the ABC.
The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in City Hall, 110 E. Cook St.
Wal-Mart spokeswoman Tiffany Moffatt said the products would be stocked on shelves and not refrigerated. The alcohol area would take up 88 square feet in the food display section.
The "big-box"-type store at 2220 S. Bradley Road is about 134,900 square feet.
According to the ABC Web site, the license would be transferred from Pierre La Fond Petit Bistro in Santa Barbara, and the status of the license is pending.
This summer, the council approved a similar request from specialty grocery chain Trader Joe's for its planned store at 1321 S. Bradley Road, next to Gold's Gym and Costco in the shopping center at the corner of Stowell Road near Highway 101.
The council unanimously found the Trader Joe's license transfer would be in the "public convenience" at an August meeting. However, the license, which is being bought from another party, hasn't been transferred yet and the store isn't expected to open until sometime in 2009. The ABC Web site lists the status of the license as pending.
Police had no objection to the Trader Joe's license and no public opposition was filed with ABC.
In June, Wal-Mart also applied for an off-site-sales beer and wine license for its Lompoc store. However, ABC determined that the area was "oversaturated" with alcoholic beverage outlets and police opposed the granting of the license.
The ABC Web site lists the status of that license application as withdrawn.
The chain's Arroyo Grande store has an active "Type 20" license.
This month, the company also applied to the city of Lompoc to expand its existing store at 721 W. Central Ave. by 41,433 square feet into a Wal-Mart "Supercenter" with a full-service grocery store. The city has not yet set a date to review the application.
Wal-Mart also owns a 51.5-acre commercially zoned vacant property in Orcutt east of Highway 135 along Orcutt Road, south of Foster Road and west of Hummel Drive.
However, no plans have been announced for that property.
December 27, 2008