Brick To Sell Liquor License With Restaurant Requirement

The Brick Township council has voted in favor of selling one liquor license with the requirement that the buyer include a restaurant in his or her plans to utilize it.

The council, at its Feb. 18 meeting, unanimously voted in favor of putting one plenary consumption license up for bid at a minimum of $500,000.

"The township right now holds one distribution license and two consumption [licenses]," said Councilman Jim Fozman.

Consumption licenses authorize a license holder to serve alcohol; distribution licenses authorize the retail sale of alcohol in a store. Under state regulations, municipalities are assigned a number of licenses they can sell based on population every ten years. Brick can sell all three licenses, if township officials wish to do so, before the 2020 census is completed.

Under the sale authorized Feb. 18, a buyer must meet the $500,000 minimum bid amount, as well as build an establishment that serves food and has seating for at least 100 patrons. The bar itself, however, must be restricted to no more than 25 seats.

In 2012, the township scuttled a plan to sell a distribution license, citing a soft market. During that sale, the minimum bid was set at $620,000.