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Draper Journal

City Council Approves Local Consent for Liquor License

Jun 09, 2016 09:05AM ● By Kelly Cannon

Historic buildings can now be used for medical services after a vote from the city council.—Draper City

By Kelly Cannon | [email protected]


The Draper City Council approved both the local consent for a full-service alcohol license and the transfer of a dining club license to Salt Flats Grill and Brewhouse during its May 3 meeting. The unanimous decision would allow the restaurant to continue pursuing the liquor license with the Department of Alcohol Beverage Commission.

The dining club license will be transferred from Toscano, 11450 South State State, to Salt Flats Grill and Brewhouse, 1122 Draper Parkway. A dining club license with a full-service alcohol license would allow Salt Flats Grill and Brewhouse to serve beer, wine and various spirits in the restaurant, as long as the food sales make up at least 60 percent of the sales.

Community Development Director Keith Morey explained to the council the Salt Flats Grill location is not within 200 feet of a park, church or school, which would automatically disqualify it from being allowed according to state law. It also doesn’t require a variance from the city since it’s not within 600 feet of one of those locations.

“There was a question. Across the street there is a church. The 600-foot line does touch the corner of the property. There was a little bit of confusion about that. The 600 feet is not measured ‘as the crow flies,’” Morey explained. “It’s measured by the most direct route that you’d take from the front door of the business to get to where this is.”

In the case of Salt Flats Grill and Brewhouse, there is no direct crossing on Draper Parkway. In order to cross the street, a person would have to walk down to the end of the block and come back up to the church.

“By the time you do that, it’s more like 1,800 feet,” Morey said. “So even though it looks like a violation, it’s not and that’s very specific in the state statute.”

Morey explained the owners of Toscano have discovered they are not making full use of the liquor license they have the way they would like to and that’s why they want to transfer it to the Salt Flats Grill. Morey also explained the grill is looking into potentially opening a microbrewery at that location. The city council has already approved the idea of having another microbrewery in Draper, though didn’t specify it would be at Salt Flats Grill.

“From my understanding, they plan on making some pretty incredible improvements to that location,” Morey said. “It should be a nice addition to our community.”

Morey also said if approved, the city is not adding a license but just transferring it so all the license numbers would stay the same.

The applicant, Jeremy Ford, was present at the meeting and explained Toscano will keep a restaurant license. The design of Salt Flats Grill will be centered on race cars to fit in with Draper and the Salt Flats.

“It should be a really interesting draw into the city,” Ford said. “We think we’ve brought together something special.”

The consent was approved unanimously after no public comment.   λ