Macon-Bibb County bans new liquor stores, pawn shops

MACON — Middle Georgia’s largest county is banning new pawn shops for six months and is enacting limits that will ban new liquor stores indefinitely.

Local news outlets reported the Bibb County Commission voted unanimously to approve the moratoriums on Tuesday. Commissioners must vote again next week on the rules, which would begin Feb. 22.

Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller proposed the bans when he took office recently.

“Certain liquor stores open up in certain parts of the county that are already poverty stricken, crime stricken. I think it adds to the situation,” Miller said. “I think it depreciates the values of certain properties, certain stores do.”

Miller has similar concerns about pawn shops.

“If I get off on an exit somewhere and I’m driving through, out of town, and I see a bunch of that, I know I’m in a bad area. I say bad area loosely. Nothing against the people that live there, but I know it’s an area a lot of focus has not been put on for good businesses,” Miller said.

County rules previously limited liquor stores to about 60 countywide. The new rules aim to reduce the number of liquor stores to 28, with no more than three per commission district.

Current holders of liquor licenses are grandfathered in and can continue to renew their licenses, as long as there is no change in ownership of the business and all legal conditions are met.

George Crawley, who leads a neighborhood group, called the liquor license rules “a first gesture” but said he wants more reductions in alcohol sales in his area.

“We have approximately 24 convenience stores with package sales to go, and beer sales from those locations with a 1-mile radius,” Crawley said. “Limiting the number of stores within our community is what we are asking for. And we expect that is what we are going to get working with this new commission.”