Planned liquor store in downtown York: What does that mean for crime, parking and more?

A state liquor store could be coming to downtown York.

The Fine Wine and Good Spirits store, which could open by Christmastime, would fill a now-vacant spot at 9 W. Market St., just off Continental Square, according to Patricia Will, director of marketing for Yohn Property Management, which owns the property.

The building sat vacant since before Yohn purchased the property in mid-2015. Some renovations are needed, but the property could be ready to be turned over to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board by October, Will said.

More: A lot has changed in downtown York in the last few months. Here's an update

The move is in the preliminary phases, said Elizabeth Brassel, PLCB spokeswoman.

A public notice about the plans that ran in Wednesday’s York Daily Record kicked off a public objection period that ends on March 27. If 15 or more taxpayers residing within a quarter-mile of the proposed store object based on proximity to a church, school or private residences, a court hearing will be held to give those who object a chance to present their cases, according to state liquor codes. A judgement then would be made after the hearing.

More: Restaurant inspections: Kitchen equipment encrusted with grease, food debris, filth

If built, the store would be a little more than 3,000 square feet, comparable to the size of the wine and spirits store near Route 30 and the Susquehanna Trail, Will said.

“We had to get a bit creative with the layout, but it will meet their needs,” Will said.

More: These are the largest grocery stores in central Pa.

This would not be the first time the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has had a store with limited parking in an urban environment. At least two stores in Harrisburg and several in the Philadelphia area fit that description, Brassel said.

The new store would provide a different dynamic for the immediate downtown York and its restaurants, some of which are BYOB. Such restaurants have no license to serve alcohol, but patrons are welcome to bring in their own.

“I would have died for that store for the two years we were BYOB,” said Toni Calderone, co-owner of nearby Tutoni’s. “I sent many people to the (Holy Hound Taproom) and several others to (the fine spirits store on) Route 30 … Had there been options, I probably would have had much more success in the beginning.”

The proposed store demonstrates the desirability of downtown York and its spaces, Silas Chamberlin, CEO of Downtown Inc., said.

“With all the new residential units coming online … comes the kind of services you expect people would want,” Chamberlin said. “It’s a vacant space and now it (could be) activated space with customers coming in and people employed. There’s a lot of pros to it and it speaks to the revitalization of downtown.”

Neither Calderone nor Chamberlin thought crime would follow the opening of new store.

More: Civil War-era buildings being torn down in Dover Township

“There’s a liquor store less than a block away and I never hear anything about the crime happening because of a liquor store,” Calderone said.

That store is just a few blocks from the proposed location, in a little shopping center in the 100 block of North Duke Street. The PLCB had no information Wednesday as to how this new store might affect that one.

People don't think of that area as the downtown, even though it's just a couple of blocks away, Chamberlin said. "But we’ve had one down there and it doesn’t contribute to any difference in crime or vagrancy that we see in that part of the downtown.”

If problems did arise, Chamberlin said, existing partnerships in the city would be ready to handle them.

“The state and the liquor control board are partners, and they are used to running these facilities,” Chamberlin said. “They know how to handle the issues of public safety. I think we’re pretty set up to address issues as they arise.”

Anthony J. Machcinski is the food reporter for the York Daily Record. Follow him on Facebook, @ChinskiTweets on Twitter or email him at amachcinski@ydr.com.

Did you miss Restaurant Week? That's a shame! Relive all the best food from the big, week-long event in the gallery below.