By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
A proposal to change a city of Zeeland ordinance to allow alcohol to be sold on Sundays received preliminary approval from the City Council Monday night.
The council voted 6-1 to place on first reading the proposal to permit the sale of alcohol between 12 noon Sunday and 2 a.m. Monday, or during a special event within that time period that has been approved by the council. A final vote on whether to allow Sunday sales will come at the Nov. 17 City Council meeting.
The council Monday also unanimously voted to place on first reading a proposed change to the city’s parks ordinance that would allow alcohol to be possessed and consumed in a city park, such as Vande Luyster Square and Elm Street Park, if the alcohol is purchased from a social district license holder and if all social district guidelines are allowed. Likewise, a final vote on that change would come Nov. 17.
Even if Sunday alcohol sales are allowed, alcohol would not be allowed for consumption in the social district on Sundays. The city would retain its current social district hours of 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, City Marketing Director Abby deRoo said.
“That was out of respect for those who may not want to be exposed to alcohol on Sundays (and) may not want to witness it. It keeps the use as a tool for businesses and for economic development, but it keeps it private,” deRoo said.
Council members also discussed removing the splash pad from the social district. That proposed change to the city’s social district maintenance and management plan is expected to come back to the council at the Nov. 17 meeting.
“The splash pad seems to be a really important piece for a lot of people, and we’d rather not offend any part of our population with even the idea that someday we might (allow alcohol there),” deRoo said. “We felt that out of courtesy, removing it from the social district plan would be best.”
The proposed change would also remove designations for special-event-only areas from the social district. The city established a social district in 2020 and last updated its maintenance and management plan for the district in July 2022. DeRoo says that there have been no significant issues or concerns arising from the social district.
“It’s pretty mild. We’re not seeing the sidewalks crawling with people with drinks in their hand,” she said.
Councilman Phung Lam, who supports legalizing Sunday alcohol sales, praised the proposal to remove the splash pad from the social district.
“This gives clarity. It gives us a line in the sand on where we stand,” Lam said, calling the splash pad “a sacred space.”
Mayor Kevin Klynstra voted in favor of the first reading allowing Sunday alcohol sales, even though he said that he probably wouldn’t buy a drink when he goes out to eat on a Sunday.
“Just because I don’t do that, do I say no to everybody else that would like to go out for a cocktail or a beer after church or watch the Lions game? No, I don’t think I can say that,” Klynstra said.
Mayor Pro Tem Sally Gruppen voted against legalizing Sunday sales. Gruppen spoke of people she has talked to who have moved into downtown residences and love the quiet of Sunday afternoons.
“I just think we have done so many amazing things in this community to make it family-friendly,” Gruppen said. “We just have to be really careful, in my opinion, that we’re not harming a lot of people, that are not like everybody else.”
Councilman Rick Van Dorp disagreed, saying that many of the same concerns that are being raised now against allowing alcohol to be sold on Sunday were raised nearly 20 years ago when voters approved a ballot measure allowing for the sale of alcohol.
“We’ve seen no issues. I don’t know why Sundays are going to be any different than a Saturday or a Monday … I think this whole moral decay issue falls on deaf ears for me,” Van Dorp said.
The city received two emails in support of allowing Sunday sales. The Rev. Eric Barnes, who is co-pastor of Second Reformed Church and serves on the Shopping Area Redevelopment Board (SARB), called the proposal to allow Sunday alcohol sales while not allowing the social district to be open on Sunday “a valuable compromise to some of the concerns raised.”
“This change does not require restaurants or stores to be open an additional day, and does not require anyone to purchase alcohol on Sundays,” Barnes wrote in his email.
Doug Vos, president of Don’s Flowers and Gifts, also wrote in support.
“The downtown business community generally rises and falls together,” Vos wrote. “The proposed addition of Sunday alcohol sales will not force any business or customer to participate if they would prefer not to. We will choose to keep our business closed on Sundays and reserve that day as a day of rest.”
The council of North Street Christian Reformed Church voiced its opposition to allowing Sunday sales at an Oct. 20 public hearing. The council also received two other objections to Sunday sales at that meeting.
Zeeland Record
A proposal to change a city of Zeeland ordinance to allow alcohol to be sold on Sundays received preliminary approval from the City Council Monday night.
The council voted 6-1 to place on first reading the proposal to permit the sale of alcohol between 12 noon Sunday and 2 a.m. Monday, or during a special event within that time period that has been approved by the council. A final vote on whether to allow Sunday sales will come at the Nov. 17 City Council meeting.
The council Monday also unanimously voted to place on first reading a proposed change to the city’s parks ordinance that would allow alcohol to be possessed and consumed in a city park, such as Vande Luyster Square and Elm Street Park, if the alcohol is purchased from a social district license holder and if all social district guidelines are allowed. Likewise, a final vote on that change would come Nov. 17.
Even if Sunday alcohol sales are allowed, alcohol would not be allowed for consumption in the social district on Sundays. The city would retain its current social district hours of 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, City Marketing Director Abby deRoo said.
“That was out of respect for those who may not want to be exposed to alcohol on Sundays (and) may not want to witness it. It keeps the use as a tool for businesses and for economic development, but it keeps it private,” deRoo said.
Council members also discussed removing the splash pad from the social district. That proposed change to the city’s social district maintenance and management plan is expected to come back to the council at the Nov. 17 meeting.
“The splash pad seems to be a really important piece for a lot of people, and we’d rather not offend any part of our population with even the idea that someday we might (allow alcohol there),” deRoo said. “We felt that out of courtesy, removing it from the social district plan would be best.”
The proposed change would also remove designations for special-event-only areas from the social district. The city established a social district in 2020 and last updated its maintenance and management plan for the district in July 2022. DeRoo says that there have been no significant issues or concerns arising from the social district.
“It’s pretty mild. We’re not seeing the sidewalks crawling with people with drinks in their hand,” she said.
Councilman Phung Lam, who supports legalizing Sunday alcohol sales, praised the proposal to remove the splash pad from the social district.
“This gives clarity. It gives us a line in the sand on where we stand,” Lam said, calling the splash pad “a sacred space.”
Mayor Kevin Klynstra voted in favor of the first reading allowing Sunday alcohol sales, even though he said that he probably wouldn’t buy a drink when he goes out to eat on a Sunday.
“Just because I don’t do that, do I say no to everybody else that would like to go out for a cocktail or a beer after church or watch the Lions game? No, I don’t think I can say that,” Klynstra said.
Mayor Pro Tem Sally Gruppen voted against legalizing Sunday sales. Gruppen spoke of people she has talked to who have moved into downtown residences and love the quiet of Sunday afternoons.
“I just think we have done so many amazing things in this community to make it family-friendly,” Gruppen said. “We just have to be really careful, in my opinion, that we’re not harming a lot of people, that are not like everybody else.”
Councilman Rick Van Dorp disagreed, saying that many of the same concerns that are being raised now against allowing alcohol to be sold on Sunday were raised nearly 20 years ago when voters approved a ballot measure allowing for the sale of alcohol.
“We’ve seen no issues. I don’t know why Sundays are going to be any different than a Saturday or a Monday … I think this whole moral decay issue falls on deaf ears for me,” Van Dorp said.
The city received two emails in support of allowing Sunday sales. The Rev. Eric Barnes, who is co-pastor of Second Reformed Church and serves on the Shopping Area Redevelopment Board (SARB), called the proposal to allow Sunday alcohol sales while not allowing the social district to be open on Sunday “a valuable compromise to some of the concerns raised.”
“This change does not require restaurants or stores to be open an additional day, and does not require anyone to purchase alcohol on Sundays,” Barnes wrote in his email.
Doug Vos, president of Don’s Flowers and Gifts, also wrote in support.
“The downtown business community generally rises and falls together,” Vos wrote. “The proposed addition of Sunday alcohol sales will not force any business or customer to participate if they would prefer not to. We will choose to keep our business closed on Sundays and reserve that day as a day of rest.”
The council of North Street Christian Reformed Church voiced its opposition to allowing Sunday sales at an Oct. 20 public hearing. The council also received two other objections to Sunday sales at that meeting.
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