New Liquor License In Moorestown Up For Auction

MOORESTOWN, NJ — If you want to operate a liquor-serving establishment in historically dry Moorestown, now's your chance.

The Township Council passed a resolution March 24 that enables Moorestown to issue two "shopping mall liquor licenses." Essentially, two additional licenses will be available for Moorestown Mall businesses to serve alcohol on their premises.

Moorestown has placed one of the licenses up for auction.

Last year, the state overhauled its liquor-license laws, which now allow cities and towns to issue additional licenses for businesses at shopping malls — even if the municipality has reached its limit on liquor licenses, which is primarily determined by population. The measure is partially designed to revitalize malls, which have faced challenges in the digital age of retail.

The new policy allowed Moorestown's council to create two of the special licenses.

The licensees, which will be determined through auctions, must operate within Moorestown Mall's main building. Both licenses will allow for drinking on each business's premises — such as a bar or restaurant, rather than a liquor store.

At least two parties have expressed interest in purchasing the liquor licenses, according to Council Member Nicole Gillespie.

During the council meeting, she recommended putting only one of the licenses up for auction now and saving the second for later to create competition among bidders.

"My recommendation is, let's do one, see what we get for it and then figure out if we want to do the second one now or later," Gillespie said.

Gillespie noted that PREIT — the mall's parent company — currently has a liquor license they're holding onto. So delaying the bidding for the second license won't prevent any qualifying business from serving liquor there, she said.

The bidding will start at $500,000 and run until 3 p.m. May 7.

All bidders must already have a contract or lease to operate such an establishment at Moorestown Mall.

Moorestown banned liquor sales for nearly 80 years after the end of national prohibition — until township voters approved a 2011 referendum that repealed the longtime policy.

The township has made gradual steps away from its dry history in recent years, including the township's first liquor store, which opened last year, and plans to open a microbrewery that will partner with Rowan College at Burlington County.