The riverfront district extends along U.S. Highway 41. Provided image
ST. JOHN — The Town Council has approved the creation of a riverfront district, a decision that will allow the town to obtain more liquor licenses.
The number of regular licenses in each municipality is determined by the state based on population. Councilman Mike Aurelio, R-at large, has said St. John is entirely out of licenses, meaning the only way new restaurants can obtain them is by purchasing them from other businesses at prices as high as $500,000.
Because of the hefty price tag that comes with buying liquor licenses from other businesses, Aurelio said many licenses go to chain restaurants. Creating a riverfront district allows for more licenses in the designated area, which could help local restaurants. While an exact number of licenses and the precise cost of each license has not been determined, Town Manager Joe Wiszowaty said they would likely be in the neighborhood of $1,000.
The riverfront district will extend along U.S. 41 from the train tracks near Schillings to just south of the Shrine of Christ's Passion. Schilling Development owns the majority of the unoccupied land in the district, about 25 acres on the west side of U.S. 41.
Now that the council has approved the designation, the town's legal team is working to finalize the necessary ordinances, work Wiszowaty said will likely be completed sometime in September.
Each license will be site-specific, meaning businesses will have to locate within the district boundaries to be eligible. Wiszowaty said the town will develop some sort of review process to select businesses.
"What we don't want is someone to come into business to try and make a quick buck," Wiszowaty said.
While there are no specific plans, Wiszowaty said he would like to see a nice array of different businesses: potentially a hotel, high-end restaurants and some sort of banquet facility.
During a January Town Council meeting, Jack Slager of Schilling Development said that the development would be "cohesive" with the nearby Shrine of Christ's Passion and that the restaurants and hotel could even be a draw for shrine visitors.
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