CHARLOTTE, N.C.-- The Mecklenburg ABC board is leasing space for a new liquor store in the "high rent" district of SouthPark.
The location is within three miles of two other existing liquor stores.
The board has signed a lease to rent space in Morrocroft Village, near a Harris Teeter Supermarket, at $35 per square foot, per month, for a total of about $186,000 per year for the first five years of the lease.
The site is located in a space formerly occupied by a Ruby Tuesday restaurant, only 2.9 miles from an existing ABC store in the Park Road shopping center, and 2.8 miles from another liquor store in Cotswold Village.
Board members and acting CEO Elton Shoemaker refused to answer our questions about the decision, saying they were strictly focused on drafting a committee to find a new CEO and would address the store in an upcoming meeting on March 18.
The board refused to provide a copy of the lease, but the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Commission released a copy.
The state ABC commission will consider an application for a license for the store in its March 17 meeting.
Two callers tipped the I-Team to the lease, raising questions about why the ABC board, which holds a monopoly over liquor sales in the county, would locate three stores within six miles.
Got a tip? Shoot us an e-mail at iteam@wcnc.com.
