Liquor Store Separation Distance

In response to a motion passed by Executive Committee in February 2015, City Administration is reviewing and amending the way the Zoning Bylaw regulates the separation distance between liquor stores. 

What's Changing?

In 2007, a regulation was introduced into the Zoning Bylaw requiring all future liquor store locations to be a minimum of 500 metres away from any existing liquor stores.

This regulation was established to help control the proliferation of liquor stores along established commercial shopping corridors, such as Jasper Avenue, Whyte Avenue, 107 Avenue, Stony Plain Road, 118 Avenue, and 97 Street. As a result of this regulation, liquor retailer competition was also significantly restricted in large suburban commercial sites designed to serve a sizable population. 

The review aims to provide recommendations to City Council for how to relax the separation distance requirement for liquor stores on larger suburban commercial sites, while continuing to limit the concentration of liquor stores along established commercial shopping corridors and in mature areas of the city.

Project Stage

This project is at the draft amendment stage.

City Administration presented draft amendments to Executive Committee on October 5, 2015 (see item 6.1). Based on public consultation, Administration recommended that liquor stores on commercial sites greater than 2.5 hectares (approximately 1.25 city blocks) be exempt from requiring a 500 metre separation distance from liquor stores on adjacent sites.  The changes also proposed that a limit of one liquor store per 2.5 hectare commercial site be allowed, unless each retailer could maintain a 500 metre separation distance.

On October 5, 2015,  Executive Committee passed a motion referring the amendments back to Administration to look at other ways of relaxing the separation distance requirements for liquor stores on large suburban commercial sites, including the use of an overlay or other alternatives.    

Administration has completed a review of the use of an overlay and alternative methods. The revised draft amendments retain similar zoning and site area exemption requirements to those previously proposed to Executive Committee, with the exception of a central area of the city where the existing 500 metre separation distance requirement will remain in effect. 

The boundaries of the area where the separation distance will remain in effect were chosen based on:

• direction provided by Executive Committee;
• feedback received from stakeholders through previous engagement activities;
• preventing further proliferation of liquor stores along established commercial corridors and within mature areas of the city;
• analysis of relevant neighbourhood statistics; and
• identification of natural and manmade boundaries.

This meeting will give Executive Committee the opportunity to provide further guidance to City Administration before the proposed amendments go to City Council Public Hearing for a final decision. A target date for the Public Hearing has not yet been set.

Public Consultation

The City of Edmonton is committed to citizen engagement.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the July 2015 survey. A Public Consultation Feedback Summary is now available. Feedback received was used to refine the draft regulations presented to Executive Committee on October 5, 2015 (see item 6.1).

For more information, or to share your thoughts on the revised draft amendments, please contact Adam Sheahan. Feedback will be used to further refine the draft amendments before they return to Executive Committee in April 2016.

Residents can also share their views directly with members of City Council by requesting to speak when the revised bylaw amendments go to Executive Committee. A target date for the amendments to go to City Council Public Hearing for a final decision has not yet been set.

For More Information

Adam Sheahan