City purchases license from Mount Pleasant
By Jason Arndt
Editor
The Village of Mount Pleasant has agreed to sell a Reserve “Class B” liquor license to the City of Burlington, which will pave the way for a prospective martini lounge set to take hold in the downtown district.
Mark Weiss, owner of the Perseverance Group, plans to open “The Studio Martini Lounge” at 532 N. Pine St. under a lease agreement.
According to Racine County Economic Development Corporation, which has reviewed liquor license applications for several years, Weiss has 17 years bar and restaurant experience and owns restaurants in Mukwonago, Brookfield and Richfield.
One of his businesses is the Badger Burger Company in Mukwonago.
Weiss, in brief remarks to the Common Council on Tuesday, said he looks to begin operations around April 15 and expressed excitement about Burlington.
“This is really a nice downtown. The buildings are well kept up and have a lot of people walking around,” Weiss said. “I am really excited about that.”
According to city officials, the “Class B” liquor license allows a business to offer a combination of spirits, wine and beer for on-site consumption.
Additionally, the license serves as a critical tool for attracting any new bar or restaurant looking to establish business in Burlington.
Burlington Mayor Jon E. Schultz asked about the facility’s capacity to which Weiss said it can hold about 60 people comfortably.
Weiss initially petitioned for a “Class B” liquor license last October when the city reached its state-imposed quota of the coveted license because of Burlington’s population size.
In response to Weiss’ request, city officials submitted requests to 45 municipalities in Racine and Walworth counties seeking to buy a “Class B” liquor license.
While most communities rejected the requests, the Town of Troy in Walworth County showed a willingness to transfer a license, which included a caveat of returning the permit back to the township if Weiss’ business did not proceed.
However, the caveat would not be allowed under state statute.
“If you recall, we did have a conversation with the Town of Troy. That didn’t go as planned and then we received notification from Mount Pleasant that they would be interested in transferring one of their liquor licenses to us,” City Clerk Diahnn Halbach said Tuesday.
Mount Pleasant steps up
The Mount Pleasant Village Board on Feb. 24 endorsed the “Class B” liquor license transfer to Burlington for $10,000.
The city would pay $10,000 for the license and received full reimbursement from Weiss for the transaction, Halbach said.
Schultz, who has lobbied some communities to transfer their liquor license to Burlington, said he had a fruitful discussion with the Mount Pleasant Village Board.
“When we made this request, they were very amenable to that,” he said.
However, Mount Pleasant needed to justify the transfer, considering the community sits east of Interstate 94.
“Mount Pleasant is not close, what they had to justify is why are they all the way over there transferring the license to Burlington all the way over here and their answer was they want to be a good regional partner,” Schultz said.
Amid discussions related to the “Class B” liquor license, including surveying other communities, Burlington received another from Berkots Super Foods.
Berkots Super Foods, which purchased Gooseberries several years, retained the “Class B” liquor license before shutting its doors earlier this year.
As part of the closure, Berkots surrendered its liquor license back to Burlington.
Corina Kretschmer, of District 1, questioned city officials about the returned license.
Schultz indicated the city was already in process of receiving responses from other communities before the Village of Mount Pleasant stepped forward.
Application reviewed
In 2017, the city implemented policies and procedures related to “Class B” liquor licenses in response to issuing a permit to Gooseberries.
Procedures include reviewing a prospective establishment’s business plan, including financial outlook, facilitated by the Racine County Economic Development Corporation.
RCEDC Credit Analyst Grace Kieckbusch recommended approval in a memorandum, noting Weiss has a proven track record of operating and successful businesses based on historical financial statements.
“Based on Mr. Weiss’ experience and demonstrated ability to operate businesses, RCEDC staff are recommending approval of the liquor license request,” Kieckbusch wrote to the Common Council.
Licensing background
The City of Burlington could only purchase “Class B” liquor licenses from contiguous communities before lawmakers made modifications during the last legislative sessions.
Communities can now request licenses to any municipality located whole, or in part, of the same county as the requesting municipality.
Since Burlington lies within both Racine and Walworth counties, the city could solicit licenses from Walworth County municipalities.
Earlier this year, the Town of Troy looked to transfer one of its licenses, contingent upon issuing the permit to Weiss and a caveat allowing the township to receive the license back if the business did not succeed.
However, based on state statute, the Town of Troy would need to follow the same process by purchasing the same license back at a cost of $10,000.
Additionally, town officials expressed concerns about loss of revenue, since Burlington would retain the license under state law.
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