The St. Paul City Council on Wednesday sent a strong signal it will allow restaurants and liquor stores citywide to sell alcohol within 300 feet of a church.

At the request of Council Member Rebecca Noecker, the council voted 7-0 to support technical amendments to her proposed new licensing requirements, which are up for their final vote next week.

Until now, the city has barred itself from issuing licenses to sell within 300 feet of schools, churches or synagogues unless five out of seven council members support the proposal.

In addition, schools located downtown will no longer automatically buffered from beer. Proposed new rules state that schools within St. Paul’s Downtown Commercial Development District still will be notified if a liquor seller plans to move in, but an automatic 300-foot buffer is gone.

Downtown schools can then petition the city council to block the license, which would require votes of approval from five out of seven council members.

The amendments approved on Wednesday updated the boundaries of the downtown commercial district described within the proposed ordinance.

Liquor sellers had called the old rules outdated, noting that plenty of schools and churches have located in commercial areas where restaurants and liquor stores abound.

In December, board members with the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists alerted the mayor’s office that Gray Duck Tavern had received its liquor license in April 2017 without proper notice to the school, which is located in the same downtown building.