Forest Hill Wine And Liquor Gets License Despite Protest

BEL AIR, MD — A Harford County pharmacist is moving forward with plans to open a liquor store in Forest Hill.

Kunal Shah said his family lives nearby and thought the community was in need of more options.

"Small business there is very sleepy," Shah said of the area in Forest Hill where his store will go.

He wants to change that by bringing something he said did not exist locally.

"We want something unique," Shah said. "We want something different for our customer."

Despite several other liquor store owners taking issue with the proposal, the Harford County Liquor Control Board granted tentative approval of the liquor license for Forest Hill Wine and Liquor during its meeting Wednesday in Bel Air.

Shah said his goal is to be open by Christmas because "that's the busiest season."

Forest Hill Wine and Liquor will be in the Forest Hill Business Center, which contains The Playroom, on Newport Drive. His store will be on the first floor of the building, below the drop-in play center for children.

"With the growth of that community and the stores in that area, [we felt] that it was necessary to grant the license," Harford County Liquor Board Chair Butch Tilley said upon announcing the unanimous decision to grant the license, following a five-hour hearing on the matter. Tilley said more than 300 homes are going to be built across from the development.

Commissioners had to consider six factors in determining whether the liquor board should grant the license request, according to the Maryland Alcoholic Beverage Code:

• Public need and desire for license.
• Number and location of existing license holders.
• Potential effect on existing license holders.
• Potential commonality or uniqueness of the products offered by the applicant.
• Impact of the license for which application is made on the health, safety, and welfare of the community, including issues relating to crime, traffic, parking or convenience.
• Granting of the license is not necessary to accommodate the public.

The license was granted, contingent on approvals from the Harford County health department and the fire marshal and provision of documents such as use and occupancy certification.

Approximately 16 people were in attendance at the hearing, which was held at Bel Air Town Hall on Hickory Avenue to allow for more space than the liquor board's headquarters on Main Street. Moving to a new venue allowed for distancing, as multiple people notified the board of their opposition before the hearing about Shah's request.

Among them were two business owners who testified the new store would negatively impact them.

Larry Dean said that in the more than 25 years he has owned Bel Air Liquors with his wife, they have seen their business rise and fall with the granting of new licenses.

"The number of licenses in the community is key," Dean said, for ensuring stores can pay their bills and attract quality employees.

"I'm here because it’s important to get the message out about responsible retailing of alcoholic beverages,” said Dean, whose store is about 4 miles away from where Forest Hill Wine and Liquor will be located.

During the pandemic, both Dean and Ronnie's Beverage Warehouse President Jay Gernand said that they saw sales go up in 2020, then drop to at or below 2019 levels in 2021.

Sales went up 18 percent at Ronnie's, which is the closest liquor licensee physically to Forest Hill Wine and Liquors, during the pandemic.

“We really can’t compare 2020," he said, to today's sales, which are about 1 percent down from 2019.

"A new store comes in, [and] my piece of pie and the other guys’ pieces of pie get smaller," Gernand said. "It does not increase the sales in our county. It’s the same amount of taxes."

The commissioners acknowledged that granting the license would have an impact.

"Obviously Ronnie’s is going to be affected,” Tilley said, announcing the decision to grant the license, acknowledging that Ronnie's was 1.8 miles away. "We also considered that there hasn’t been a license in this area that's been granted for quite some time."

Tilley said his office is on Rock Spring Road, and he could see why granting the license may be an improvement for the area.

"Being on the right side [of the road] ... is a convenient factor," Tilley said. "I see it all day long. It's perilous to cross the street at certain times."

As far as crime, he said, Forest Hill is "probably the lowest crime area in the county." Ultimately, he noted, the board ruled: "There wouldn't be a negative impact on the community."

Forest Hill Wine and Liquor will be at 1 Newport Drive in the Forest Hill Business Center.

"Good luck," Tilley said to Shah. "We hope you do well."