KC considers allowing alcohol sales closer to schools. Districts are fighting back

Under Kansas City’s current law, the 7-Eleven just across the street from a Center School District grade school is prohibited from selling liquor.

But that could change under a proposal City Council members are considering. And school officials and parents are worried.

“Our number one priority, my number one priority, is the safety and welfare of children in our school district,” Ron Fritz, who has two children in the district, told council members at a hearing Wednesday.

A proposal before the council’s Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee would change the city’s law to allow businesses to sell alcohol closer to schools and churches. For now the required distance is 300 feet. The new law would shorten that to 100 feet.

“One hundred feet — there are a lot of places in the city where that could be just across the street,” Councilwoman Andrea Bough, 6th district at-large, said after the hearing. “I just haven’t had enough information presented to why we’re making the change.”

Dan Fowler, 2nd District councilman, equated the 300 foot distance to a football field.

“That’s pretty far,” Fowler said. He then suggested substituting the distance to 200 feet in a compromise.

Jim Ready, manager of the city’s Regulated Industries Division, the entity responsible for administering liquor licenses, said 100 feet is a safe enough distance to protect schools and churches.

Center School District officials are worried though. The 7-Eleven is 150 feet away and across the street from Boone Elementary and the Early Childhood Center, said district spokeswoman Christina Medina. Under the proposed ordinance, the gas station might be able to sell liquor. Medina asked the committee to keep the required distance to at least 300 feet. The gas station, she said, is the closest such business to any district school.

Kansas City Public Schools submitted written testimony opposing the change: “We know that investing in our neighborhoods in ways that promote healthy environments for children and families make a difference in our schools.”

Council members are also considering changing another aspect of the current law so it is in line with Missouri law. For now, churches and schools nearby can nix a liquor license. Under the proposed change, anyone owning property 250 to 1,500 feet away from the business can have a bigger say in whether a liquor license is granted. The final decision is up to the city.

Medina asked that the city ensure that school district concerns won’t be lost amid so many neighborhood voices.

“We’re asking for you all to just reconsider and provide conditions that will still allow for the school district to have a voice in the process,” Medina said during the hearing. “Our minds are always going to be to advocate for what’s best for kids, and we just want to be allowed to continue to do that.”

On the flip side, Ready said he has dealt with five cases where churches and schools gave consent to a liquor license, yet two were rejected when neighborhoods said no.

Council members said they wanted more information and agreed to postpone the resolution to next week.

This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 6:02 PM.