by Timothy Rutt
Walmart Neighborhood Market, which opened in March, has posted a notice that is is applying to sell alcoholic beverages at the store.
The notice says that Walmart has applied for a "premises to premises transfer," which means transferring an existing liquor license from another location, rather than creating a new license.
In public meetings, Walmart representatives have said that a liquor license was always in the planning, but they wouldn't apply for at least a year.
Did they break that promise? It depends on how you define it.
According to an email sent to the newsgroups by Altadena planning consultant Carolyn Seitz, posting the notice is just the first step in a long process that could take several years before the first bottle of spirits is put on the shelf.
"Keep in mind that they have not yet applied for a Conditional Use Permit with the County Department of Regional Planning. The process with the Department of Regional Planning will take 1 to 2 years, depending on the backlog at Regional Planning at the time the case is filed," Seitz wrote.
A CUP will have to be in place before liquor sales are allowed at the store, Seitz said. There will also be reviews by the Altadena Town Council and Land Use Committee, and at least one public hearing by the county's regional planning commission.
"While they have an [Alcoholic Beverege Commission] notice of transfer of license on display on the store, the notice posted also makes it clear that the store does not have permission to sell alcohol," Seitz wrote. The ABC will not issue a license until a CUP has been approved.
"Nothing is a done deal," Seitz wrote.
The store, at 2408 Lincoln Avenue, is just across the street from an existing liquor store.
