Stadium has 2 options for Sunday alcohol sales

With opening day at its new minor-league ballpark a month away, Gwinnett County officials are still scrambling to make sure fans who attend Sunday games can have a beer with their hot dog.

The County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday on two measures designed to help make that happen at the new home of the Gwinnett Braves. The first is a request to the state Department of Community Affairs to approve the stadium, an adjacent mixed-use development and the county’s convention center and arena in Duluth for certification under an economic development program that allows Sunday sales for qualified projects.

The other strategy is an amendment to the county’s alcohol sales law that would allow Sunday sales so long as at least half of the stadium’s food and beverage sales come from food. County and state rules already allow Sunday sales at restaurants and similar establishments that are primarily in the business of selling food — not booze.

It’s that provision under which the county’s Arena at Gwinnett Center has operated for years, said David O’Kelley, licensing and revenue manager for the county’s Department of Finance.

The county still holds slim hope that the General Assembly will approve a bill allowing the county to issue a permit to the stadium, according to O’Kelley. Such authority is granted to cities, but not counties, in state law.

The second option is for the state DCA to approve the economic development designation. O’Kelley said county officials expect to meet with DCA staff next week.

No matter which method ends up being used, O’Kelley said the stadium will be selling beer when the Braves host their first home opener on April 17.