OHDS Board Position Regarding the Condition of Liquor Permit Saturation in the Oregon Historic District

The issue at the heart of the current discussion regarding liquor licenses in the Oregon Historic District is not a deli or any particular business establishment. The issue is "saturation" which is referred to by the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Liquor Control as meaning "too many" liquor licenses.

The Oregon Historic District has been considered saturated with liquor licenses by the Ohio Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) since the 1980's. The Dayton City Commission has supported the saturation status at no more than 17 licenses since that time. The City’s objections to ANY additional licenses have been upheld by the Ohio Liquor Control Commission and court decisions in numerous cases, licenses, and years since that time.

Ohio law allows for only three possible objections to a new liquor license. Saturation is one of the three, and the only one available to the neighborhood to prevent an influx of liquor licenses. In essence, our neighborhood is saturated or it is not. Saying yes to an additional liquor license would be saying that we are not saturated. We have been advised that doing so would virtually eliminate our ability to object to any additional licenses in the future.

The vote taken by the OHDS Board of Trustees in February 2006 was simply a confirmation of the Trustees' intent to uphold the current OHDS Liquor Policy and the City of Dayton’s Informal Resolution to object to ANY license over 17, as we continue to be a saturated neighborhood. The vote to uphold the saturation policy should not be misconstrued as a rejection of a particular business by the OHDS Board of Trustees. We do not oppose a deli; we oppose more than 17 liquor licenses and the impact an unlimited number of licenses would have on the quality of life in our neighborhood.

Thank you for reviewing this information. You can also read about the history of liquor license decisions in the Oregon Historic District.