This chapter provides zoning standards for off-premises alcohol outlets.

Date Passed: Monday, April 28, 2025

Effective Date: Monday, April 28, 2025

ORD C36680 Section 6

1. “Community Center” means a publicly-owned property where community members gather to socialize, participate in recreational or educational activities, learn, and/or seek counseling or support services. Community centers house a variety of programs and can be open to everyone in a community or only to a particular group, such as youth or seniors.

2. “Grocery establishment” means a retail store in this state that is over 15,000 square feet in size and that sells primarily household foodstuffs for off-site consumption, including the sale of fresh produce, meats, poultry, fish, deli products, dairy products, canned foods, dry foods, beverages, baked foods, or prepared foods, and where the sale of household supplies or other products is secondary to the primary purpose of food sales.

3. “Hotel” means buildings, structures, and grounds, having facilities for preparing, cooking, and serving food, that are kept, used, maintained, advertised, or held out to the public to be a place where food is served and sleeping accommodations are offered for pay to transient guests, in which twenty or more rooms are used for the sleeping accommodation of such transient guests. All hotel buildings, structures, and grounds must be located on adjacent property either owned or leased by the same person or persons.

4. “Library” means the Spokane Public Library, as established under Chapter 6.06 of the Spokane Municipal Code, and all locations operated by the Spokane Public Library. It does not include Spokane Public Library kiosk locations.

5. “Liquor” in this chapter shall mean the same as “liquor” defined in RCW 66.04.010.

6. “Off-premises alcohol outlet” means a business that sells liquor intended to be consumed away from the point of sale. It does not include a grocery establishment, hotel, pharmacy, supermarket, or licensed on-premises alcohol outlet.

7. “On-premises alcohol outlet” means a location that sells alcohol that will be consumed on the premises. Examples include but are not limited to tavern, bars, and restaurants.

8. “Parks” means and includes all City parks, public squares,  park drives, parkways, park museums, pools, bathing beaches, and playgrounds, recreation grounds, trails, natural areas and any conservation land under the control of the park board.

1. “Pharmacy” means every place properly licensed by the Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission where the practice of pharmacy is conducted as defined by RCW 18.64.011(32).

10. “Public or Private School” means any tax-supported elementary or secondary school or private school meeting the requirements of RCW 28A and includes any facility hosting an Early Childhood Education Assistance Program or Head Start.

11. “Supermarket”, as designated by the North American Industry Classification System, means a business where the primary business activity is retailing a general line of food, such as canned and frozen foods; fresh fruits and vegetables; and fresh and prepared meats, fish, and poultry. It does not include Convenience Retailers or Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores as defined by the North American Industry Classification System.

12. “Transit center” means a facility where multiple buses or trains can stop simultaneously.

Date Passed: Monday, April 28, 2025

Effective Date: Monday, April 28, 2025

ORD C36680 Section 6

1. An off-premises alcohol outlet shall not be located within five hundred feet of the property line of any public school, private school, community center, library, transit center, or park. The owner or operator of an off-premises alcohol outlet shall be responsible for demonstrating that the proposed location is not within five hundred feet of the property line of a public school, private school, community center, library, transit center, or park.

2. The measurement of the separation distance shall be measured as the shortest straight-line distance from the property line of any public school, private school, community center, library, transit center, or park to the property line of the off-premises alcohol outlet.

3. Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit a person or entity from assuming ownership or operation of an existing off-premises alcohol outlet within the restricted area; provided, the person or entity assumes and maintains the necessary off-premises liquor license required by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board and; provided further,  said premises shall not be moved any closer to any public school, private school, community center, library, transit center, or park. Nonconforming off-premises alcohol outlets shall be subject to the provisions of SMC Chapter 17C.210 Nonconforming Situations.

4. These zoning standards do not apply to grocery establishments, hotels, pharmacies, supermarkets, or on-premises alcohol outlets as defined in SMC 17C.348.020.

Date Passed: Monday, April 28, 2025

Effective Date: Monday, April 28, 2025

ORD C36680 Section 6