The Anchorage Assembly granted an appeal Tuesday that could allow a downtown coffee and food stand to serve beer and wine.
The Assembly approved an administrative appeal allowing AK Alchemist to move forward on its conditional use land permit to get a liquor license, required to serve beer and wine. The Assembly will vote on the resolution Feb. 9.
The business began trying to get the license in January 2015. In June, AK Alchemist owners Elise and Adam Blomfield were denied initial site plan approval from the city's community development department director.
AK Alchemist is registered as a mobile food unit and not a restaurant with a dine-in option, which is necessary to secure the liquor license. The Blomfields plan to build a 500-square-foot covered deck off the stand to accommodate diners. No alcohol would be served or sold to customers through the drive-thru window.
Since the director could not approve the plan administratively, the appeal went directly to the Anchorage Assembly to decide behind closed doors.
The 40-by-8-foot food stand is housed in a shipping container the Blomfields refurbished in 2014 on land they own at Fourth Avenue and A Street. The trailer meets all requirements for being mobile, though Adam Blomfield said he has no plan to move it. He wants to build a mixed-use building on the property, but until then the trailer serves as a temporary business location.
Blomfield said in a December interview that the idea for serving beer and wine stemmed from wanting to capture more customers on the eastern edge of downtown.
The nine-page appeal issued Tuesday notes there are bigger policy implications with the decision. Allowing a mobile food vendor to serve alcohol marks a "unique business model of first impression" for the Anchorage Assembly that is neither prohibited nor allowed in city code. In May, concerns were raised that allowing such a model could mean coffee kiosks might be able to get liquor licenses.
AK Alchemist attorney Dan Coffey said in an interview Wednesday that the Assembly's decision Tuesday -- and the final vote Feb. 9 -- is unlikely to have a broader impact.
"This is not a significant public policy question," he said.
Coffey contends that there are many unique elements to Blomfield's business, including that Blomfield owns the property and that he serves a full menu of food items, including salmon tacos and reindeer burgers. He noted that few coffee kiosks serve extensive menus, making them unlikely to pursue beverages outside of coffee. Plus, getting the license is an expensive prospect. Blomfield said he's spent more than $60,000 trying to get the license.
Assemblywoman Amy Demboski, who oversaw the appeal process, declined to comment on the possible ramifications of an approval. Downtown Assemblyman Patrick Flynn also declined to comment.
Flynn has business interests in two downtown Anchorage restaurants and was excused from deliberations, citing a conflict of interest.
Blomfield said Wednesday he hopes to begin serving alcohol this summer.