NORWALK - The Walmart store on Imperial Highway will soon begin selling a wide array of liquor - to go along with its beer and wine selection - after approval by the Norwalk Planning Commission last weekWalmart has been licensed to sell beer and wine for off-premises consumption since 2003 but recently requested a type 21 license from the state department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, which would allow it to sell liquors such as vodka, whiskey and other bottled forms of alcohol. According to an application filed with the city, Walmart will dedicate 500 square feet to alcohol sales. Liquor can be purchased during Walmart's normal operating hours. Planning commissioners were unanimous in granting Walmart a conditional use permit to sell the alcohol but attached a host of conditions, including: *beer and malt beverages cannot be sold individually (such as 40 oz. containers) and must be sold in six-packs or greater; *wine cannot be sold in bottles or containers smaller than 750 ml; *wine cooler and pre-mixed distilled spirit cocktails must be sold in manufacturer pre-packaged multi-unit quantities; *a surveillance system must be operational at all times, including non-business hours, and it must be accessible via an Internet connection and by the Norwalk Sheriff's Station; *no alcohol can be displayed within five feet of a cash register or front door; The ABC labeled the neighborhood a "high-crime reporting district" after a study indicated it suffered from a crime rate 20 percent higher than the rest of the city. "With the presence of a security guard on the premises, however, the number of incidents will be discouraged," city officials wrote in a staff report. Sheriff's and public safety officials responded to Walmart 340 times between March 2009 and March 2012, records show. Calls varied from drinking in public and robbery to petty thefts and medical emergencies.

********** Published: October 4, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 25