Savannah council members debate equity of alcohol licenses for second meeting in a row

Savannah City Council made somewhat swift work of its agenda Thursday afternoon in advance of the Hurricane Helene’s worst anticipated impacts, but it did not go without approving a few key policy items and engaging in tense discussion on alcohol licenses.

Council unanimously approved a $12.5 million contract with Hussey Gay Bell for the next phase of its expansion to the Industrial and Domestic Water Treatment Plant, 6183 GA-21. The expansion is needed for the city to meet a need for 72% greater water capacity over the next two decades to match water demand brought by the region’s growth.

Council also approved by a 7-2 vote a packaged beer and wine alcohol license for the new Aldi on East Victory Drive. The vote drew contentious remarks from Alderwomen Bernetta Lanier and Alicia Miller Blakely, who continue to protest what they say is unfair practices in how council approves alcohol licenses.

The objections Thursday largely centered on the fact that Aldi is adjacent to B. Nicole’s Bistro, a restaurant that was denied an alcohol license for a second time earlier this year by a 6-3 vote. The district’s alderwoman, Linda Wilder Bryan, voted for disproval of that license due to a lack of support from neighbors, she said during the Jan. 25 meeting.

In the case of Aldi, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said the license was for a different use than that of a restaurant, which made the circumstances different. Johnson voted along with Blakely and Lanier not to deny B. Nicole Bistro’s license application in January.

Thursday’s dissent marked the second council meeting in a row with contention over an alcohol license as Blakely and Lanier claim there is no equity in the approval process, which goes through city council.

The alderwomen pointed to the license denials for B. Nicole’s Bistro and Vintage Special Events Center in West Savannah, two businesses owned by Black women, as examples of the lack of equity. Johnson said Vintage Special Events Center is in an alcohol overlay district, which prevents new alcohol licenses being approved within the overlay.

Lanier has consistently advocated for making the alcohol license approval process purely administrative, depoliticizing it by removing elected officials from the process. Lanier’s protest of the license led to an exchange with Johnson during the meeting, where the mayor deemed her “out of order” and muted her microphone during her protest.

“Black people in this city are upset by this procedure,” Lanier said. “They don’t feel like it’s fair. They feel like there is no equity. There’s disparity.”

Blakely asked City Manager Jay Melder how many of the city’s alcohol licenses were held by African American-owned businesses. Melder said he would seek that statistic from staff and provide an update if received by the end of the meeting. No update was given before meeting’s end.

The Savannah Morning News has asked the city for the same statistic, which was not sent by publication time.

The future of Savannah’s I&D Plant

Two weeks ago, Melder led a council workshop on the projected demand for water from the city's I&D Plant, saying the plant needs a 100-million-gallon per day capacity within the next 15-20 years to meet the region's rapid growth. The plant currently operates at a 58 million gallons per day, with about 20 million gallons coming from the Floridan Aquifer.

Council's approval Thursday of Phase 1b for the facility's expansion will lead to master planning for long-term improvements, a 10-year financial plan and the start of more immediate capacity improvements. The total expected cost to meet the 100-million-gallon per day capacity is about $500 million.

The contract approval granted by council Thursday will also allow the city to procure a construction manager to lead construction efforts. The scope of the phase also includes a demand analysis and facility evaluation.

The city will continue to pull more water from Abercorn Creek in coming years, which needs treatment from the I&D Plant, due to Georgia Environmental Protection Division capping withdrawals from the Floridan Aquifer due to saltwater intrusion.

The full scope of the contract can be viewed on the council agenda, which includes 28 different items Phase 1b will address .

This story was updated to add a video.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah council members debate equity of alcohol licenses for second meeting in a row