Brightview Bel Air Granted Liquor License

BEL AIR, MD — A senior living facility in Bel Air is the first assisted living program to be given permission to sell alcohol in Harford County since a new law took effect.

Brightview Avondell will be allowed to serve and sell beer, wine and liquor at its facility on Ring Factory Road.

The Maryland legislature allowed the Harford County liquor board to issue a Class ALP (assisted living program) beer, wine and liquor license, effective in July.

Under the Class ALP license, an assisted living program manager may be granted a license for $3,500 that allows on-premises consumption by a resident or guest; liquor storage; and preparation and serving of mixed drinks or liquor.

Executive Director Andrew D. Anderson told the Harford County Liquor Control Board the average age of residents at Brightview in Bel Air is 87.

The Ring Factory Road facility plans to serve the majority of its drinks during what it calls "happy hour," between 3:30 and 5 p.m.

"We will serve no more than three drinks" in a two-hour window, Anderson said. “On average, most people get two."

A bar near the dining area called Fresco's will provide beer and wine, and residents can provide their own liquor.

Residents' liquor will be stored behind a padlock, and servers can mix drinks for them. People who live at Brightview are also allowed to have their own alcohol in their apartments.

"We in jest said that anybody who does not have gray hair will be carded,” Anderson said, explaining the policy for preventing underage consumption. Servers will card anyone under 40, he added.

Residents and their guests would be able to drink on an outdoor patio with fire pit. In the event of a big party, there is an overflow area.

In outdoor areas, the liquor board traditionally requires containment in the form of a fence.

Brightview asked liquor commissioners to consider the "uniqueness" of its residents and geography, attorney Joseph Snee said at the liquor board's Wednesday meeting. The facility is set back from MD 24 and Ring Factory Road with a natural barrier of a ravine.

It's almost 0.25 mile to get from the property to the road, which is a significant distance for those who are 86 or 87 years old, the Brightview representative said.

“This is our first ALP license,” Liquor Board Chair Walter "Butch" Tilley said. "Because of the clientele, we're going to give them a little more leeway than we would another license holder."

The commissioners approved the license, with the patio area contingent upon the liquor inspector’s signoff.

Seven areas at Brightview Bel Air will be able to serve alcohol under the new license.
Like Harford Community College, which has multiple locations for alcohol service, a license will be posted in each place, according to Harford County Liquor Board Special Projects Coordinator Judith Powell.