By Andrew Wig, Sun Current
After exploring the feasibility of constructing a new municipal liquor store near West 66th Street and Cedar Avenue, the city of Richfield will instead remodel the shop.
The Richfield City Council approved the $875,000 renovation Feb. 23.
Increased competition from the Total Wine chain and plans for the redevelopment of the Cedar corridor prompted calls for the renovation, which Liquor Operations Director Bill Fillmore expects will yield a remodeled store by Memorial Day.
Fillmore said the project is "very close" to being ready to commence.
Thanks to the relocation of the office and bathroom, the remodeled store will boast a 34 percent increase in cooler space in response to rising demand for craft beer, and 23 percent more shelving for wines and spirits, according to a city staff report.
The renovation follows a template set by the 2013 remodel of Richfield's municipal liquor store at Lyndale Avenue and West 65th Street.
Similar to that store, the refurbished Cedar Avenue location will include a tasting area and an exposed ceiling in keeping with modern design trends, among other aesthetic touches.
The store's exterior will get a makeover as well. Signage will include the new city logo that was unveiled last year, while the ceiling in the vestibule will be raised.
"It will be nice and light, especially with the new vestibule and the parking arrangement," Fillmore said.
To address parking needs, the city is hoping to add space by acquiring adjacent MnDOT-owned property to the east.
The renovation plans are an alternative to a suggestion entertained in January, when the city council discussed building a new store at the Cedar Avenue location.
Several factors made the reconstruction unfeasible.
City staff explored building a larger store by acquiring the neighboring office building directly to the west of the shop, but an elevation difference between the two properties would have necessitated significant grading work, according to the staff report.
There also would have been the risk of soil correction costs at the adjacent lot, the report continues, because the liquor store lot was previously the site of a longtime gas station.
Additionally, the construction of a new store alone would cost about $2.5 million.
In total, a reconstruction project would require the city to borrow $3 million and would fully deplete the city's liquor store fund, the staff report notes.
Councilmember Tom Fitzhenry had been the most vocal champion of exploring the feasibility of a new building, thankful the option was at least explored.
"I'm glad we went through this because I was getting the questions from other people: Why are we redoing a 30-year-old building?"
The shop is the most profitable among the city's four liquor stores, but was beginning to look dated and was in need of upgrades and repairs, the staff report notes.
"It will be like a new store," an enthusiastic Councilmember Edwina Garcia said.
As the building gets a face lift, next in line for similar treatment may be the municipal liquor store at Penn Avenue and west 64th Street, a site also in need of upgrades, according to City Manager Steve Devich.
"You do have a situation at Penn," Devich said. "We need to do something with that store."
That could involve relocation, he added.
Due to the Penn Avenue store's size, "I don't know if that lends itself to remodeling or not," Devich said.
Whatever the decision, Richfield resources are at stake since the city's recreation department relies on liquor store profits for its funding.
"We're competing with Total Wine and all these other places," Mayor Debbie Goettel said. "We have to be on our 'A game.'"
