INVOLVED RAN A STOP SIGN AND HIT ANOTHER CARS AND THAT SECOND CAR INTO AN SUV.
>> DISAPPOINTED AND FED UP.
THAT’S HOW PEOPLE IN ONE
NORTHWEST JACKSONVILLE
NEIGHBORHOOD SAY THEY FEEL
SINCE THEY FOUND OUT ANOTHER
LIQUOR STORE COULD BE COMING
TO THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD IS
PROPOSED FOR SOUTEL DRIVE NEAR
NEW KINGS ROAD. THE BUSINESS
WOULD NEED A WAIVER FROM
PLANNING COMMISSIONERS TO BE
FEWER THAN 500 FEET FROM A
CHURCH.
>> I CANNOT SEE ANOTHER LIQUOR
STORE. THIS IS MY RUSSIAN
ROULETTE. WHAT DOES IT TAKE
FOR A TRAGEDY? ANOTHER TRAGEDY
TO HAPPEN.
>> NEIGHBORS SAY THAT SAME
BUSINESS LOCATION HAS
ATTRACTED CRIME FOR YEARS IN
THE OWNER NEEDS TO FIND A
BETTER IDEA. NEWS. 4 JAX
REPORTER JENESE HARRIS SPOKE
WITH NEIGHBORS AND WAS AT A
MEETING WHERE SEVERAL PEOPLE
SAID NO DENISE.
>> I’M STANDING RIGHT ACROSS
THE STREET FROM WHERE THAT
LIQUOR STORE THAT PACKAGE
LIQUOR STORE WILL BE CAN SEE.
IT’S RIGHT HERE WHERE YOU SEE
THAT ORANGE SIGN AND WE’RE
TOLD NEIGHBORS SAY THE PACKAGE
LIQUOR STORE WILL ATTRACT
CRIME AND VIOLENCE. JSO HAS
BEEN CALLED HERE FOR MURDER
FIGHTS AND MORE IN THE LAST 5
YEARS. BUT THE PROPERTY OWNER
SAYS HE HAS A RIGHT TO OPEN A
BUSINESS.
>> WHEN YOU GO DOWN SOUTEL
DRIVE, YOU SEE LOTS OF
COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE RAISE
CHILDREN FOR DECADES, CHURCHES
IN SOME PLACES TO EAT. BUT
THERE’S ONE THING SOME
RESIDENTS DON’T WANT TO SEE
ANOTHER LIQUOR STORE. THEN WHY
HENRY HAS LIVED IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD SINCE THE 1960’S.
TOTALLY AGAINST THAT. THERE’S
SO MANY LIQUOR STORES IN THE
AREA, EVEN WITHIN A SMALL
RADIUS. A NEW PACKAGE LIQUOR
STORE WOULD BE HERE ON SOUTEL
DRIVE, BUT IT CAN’T OPEN
WITHOUT A W OLDIE WAIVER OF
LIQUOR DISTANCE BECAUSE THE
STORE WOULD BE LESS THAN 500
FEET FROM A CHURCH. THE
BUSINESS WOULD BE 401 FEET
FROM THE CHURCH PROPERTY. WE
CHECKED AND FOUND 4 OTHER
LIQUOR STORES WITH A 2 TO 8
MINUTE DRIVE FROM THE PROPOSED
NEW LIQUOR STORE DURING A
PUBLIC PLANNING COMMISSIONER
MEETING THURSDAY. SEVERAL
PEOPLE SPOKE AGAINST THE
STORE. NO ONE IS CONSIDERING
THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE WITHIN
THAT THAT AREA YET THE MAIN
OPPOSITION.
>> IS THAT WE HAVE A BUS STOP
ACROSS THE STREET WITHIN 200
FEET OF THE SITE PLAN OF THIS
LIQUOR STORE. THIS IS SERIOUS.
WE HAVE. THERE WE HAD.
>> LOVE THOSE LOSING THEIR
CHILDREN. NOT THEIR VIOLENCE
HAS BEEN AN ISSUE AT THE SAME
BUILDING IN MARCH, 2 MEN DIED
AND ONE SURVIVED AFTER BEING
SHOT ON THE SAME STREET AND
LARS PROPERTIES INC OWNS THE
POTENTIAL LIQUOR STORE SITE.
IT’S BASED IN ORLANDO. THE
BUSINESS OWNER WAS NOT THERE
FOR THE MEETING, BUT HIS
ATTORNEY PAUL HARDEN WAS AND
SAID THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE
EXISTING OR PAST CRIME, BUT
THIS IS ABOUT BUSINESS OWNER
RIGHTS. AFTER HOURS OF
DISCUSSION, THE COMMISSIONERS
VOTED 4 TO 3 TO APPROVE, BUT
THAT IN EFFECT DENIED THE
WAIVER REQUEST BECAUSE IT
REQUIRES A 5 VOTE MAJORITY.
THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
INSTRUCTIONS TO APPROVE OR
DENY BASED ON THE CONCERNS AND
THE OWNERS RIGHTS. THIS IS
SEEN AS A VICTORY FOR THE
COMMUNITY, BUT IT’S NOT OVER.
THE COMMISSIONERS CAN HEAR A
NEW REQUEST FOR THE WAIVER
AGAIN 2 WEEKS AT THE NEXT
MEETING.
>> AND WE WANT DIG DEEPER TO
FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT TYPE OF
CRIME HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN
THIS COMMUNITY. GOING ALL THE
WAY BACK TO JANUARY. 1ST OF
2017, ACCORDING TO JSO
RECORDS, THERE HAVE BEEN AT
LEAST 130 CALLS FOR SERVICE,
VARYING FOR MANY ISSUES,
INCLUDING THE MURDER. BUT WE
ALSO WANTED TO REACH OUT TO
THE COUNCIL PERSON THAT
REPRESENTS THIS AREA. THAT
WOULD BE COUNCILWOMAN BRENDA
PRIESTLY JACKSON. WE ASKED HER
WHAT WAS SHE GOING TO DO WHEN
IT COMES TO THE CRIME,
SPECIFICALLY WHETHER THIS
PACKAGE LIQUOR STORE OPENS OR
NOT? SHE SAID IN A QUOTE, SHE
SAID CRIME CONCERNS ARE IN THE
DOMAIN OF JSO AND THE ELECTED
SHERIFF. ONCE AGAIN, THIS
MATTER IS QUASI SITE JUDICIAL
IN NATURE. AND UNTIL FINAL
ACTION IS TAKEN BY THE
PLANNING COMMISSION, I WILL
NOT ADDRESS IT FURTHER. I WILL
SHARE MY PERSPECTIVE AND PLANS
AS THE COUNCIL MEMBER AND
NEIGHBOR AFTER FINAL ACTION BY
THE PLANNING COMMISSION. THE
PLANNING COMMISSION COULD HAVE
ANOTHER MEETING IN 2 WEEKS AND
WE WILL BE THERE TO FOLLOW UP
ON THIS STORY REPORTING LIVE
ON THE NORTH SIDE OF SOUTEL