Alcohol Impact Area Proposed for Tacoma's West End
Tacoma could be putting limits on options for cheap ways to get drunk with the creation of a new Alcohol Impact Area, this time in the city’s West End neighborhood. An ordinance appearing on the pending agenda for February 19 would create the AIA, which would be the largest yet in Tacoma.
An AIA is a tool used by cities and the Washington Liquor Control Board to try to control problems of chronic public inebriation and other activity associated with alcohol sales or consumption in a specific neighborhood.
Here’s how it works: a City passes an ordinance identifying the neighborhood as experiencing significant public safety issues related to alcohol sales and consumption. The City then attempts to control the problem through voluntary efforts with liquor licensees in the neighborhood. If, after six months those efforts are unsuccessful, the City may request that the State Liquor Control Board establish an AIA. Within the AIA, the LCB limits the sale of certain types of alcohol products and containers, and/or restricts the hours when those products may be sold.
Tacoma has created other AIAs over the years, including downtown in 2002, and the Lincoln District and Eastside in 2008. Since their establishment, Tacoma police and fire report a reduction in alcohol-related calls for service.
The proposed West End AIA in blue adds significant area to Tacoma’s existing AIAs.
If adopted by Tacoma City Council, the ordinance would restrict the sale of fortified beer and wine, ban sales of the alcohol between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., restrict container sizes to no more than 19 ounces, and restrict single package sales of the cheap and potent booze.
Neighborhood groups have complained about problems relating to alcohol, and police and fire statistics back that up. We’ve tried AIAs in a couple other neighborhoods for several years now – have they helped?
Filed under: Legislation, City Government, Public Safety
3 comments
R Random Asian February 14, 2013
So on the map, only the white areas are the ones where the residents can handle their alcohol? Yes, you can interpret that question a number of ways.
F Flannimal February 14, 2013
Why don’t we just make ALL of Tacoma an AIA? <sarcasm>
When the “statistics” show that alcohol related crime goes down in an area, do the crimes stop? or just move to a non-AIA area?
Alcohol related crimes are a symptom, perhaps we should try to address the cause…poverty, homelessness, boredom. If we can head off drug and gang related activities among youths it would also likely reduce alcohol related crimes….it might even add more productive citizens to our fine city.
M mercurial February 14, 2013
Over half the city is an AIA? Sarcasm hitting a little too close for comfort. Yes, taking care of our community would reduce problems and lead to expression/release in other outlets. I would be curious to know who is calling in these issues. Maybe those folks could attend a few free lunches, volunteer at some after school programs, or be open-minded enough to listen and permit the occasional free expression. More than once in my life have I witnessed a drunk homeless man shouting some truth into the air. Or maybe as a community we could get a little more European and teach youth how to drink a glass of wine at dinner – rather than make all ‘stimulants’ so taboo that upon reaching ‘legal age’ individuals are in shock and tend toward binge behaviors. All things in moderation.