January 17, 2007
Holland City Council
c/o Mayor Al McGeehan
City of Holland
270 S. River Avenue
Holland, MI 49423
Dear Mayor McGeehan and Members of City Council:
The Holland Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors unanimously voted on January 15, 2007 to support the Citizens for Progress committee and their efforts to repeal the City of Holland prohibition on Sunday alcohol sales.
Currently, by a vote of City Council taken in the 1980’s, no Sunday alcohol sales are permitted in the City of Holland. Ottawa County laws allow the Sunday serving of spirits, but not beer and wine.
The City of Holland prohibition is just one piece of the Sunday prohibition puzzle. However, we feel the City policy must be repealed first and then efforts can focus on the Ottawa County Sunday prohibition of beer and wine.
This as an Economic Development issue. The current restriction puts city businesses at a competitive disadvantage. Your action to repeal the current prohibition will allow our member businesses to be competitive with their peers in neighboring municipalities.
Time is of the essence. It is our hope that the policy change can occur before the start of the summer and our prime tourist season.
Thank you for your consideration of steps to change the local council policy banning Sunday liquor sales and your support of our efforts to keep Holland a great place to live and visit.
Sincerely,
Jane Clark
President
Friday, January 19, 2007
Holland Convention and Visiters Bureau Letter of Support
January 17, 2007
To: Soren Wolff, City Manager
Al McGeehan, Mayor
Members of Holland City Council
The Holland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is in support of seven-day beverage sales within the City of Holland. As a vibrant, award-winning community, and one of the “Best Communities in Which to Retire”, Holland attracts visitors and residents from all 50 states, as well as many international destinations. Unfortunately, many of the visitors who come to the lakeshore spend Saturday in Holland and Sunday in Saugatuck, due to the discrepancy in liquor laws between the two communities. We frequently lose convention and meeting business because an evening cocktail reception cannot be held prior to a Monday morning business meeting. Holland, unfortunately, is not on a level playing field with our competition. From an economic development point of view, the Holland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau believes the city needs the necessary tools to compete when vying for the “new dollars” that the tourism and convention and meeting industry brings into a community.
As manufacturing jobs leave our area, tourism and the vibrancy of downtown play an even more critical role in Holland’s future. The Holland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors respectively request that Holland City Council take the necessary steps toward adopting the Ottawa and Allegan County standards for seven-day beverage sales in state-licensed establishments.
___________________________
Larry Weller, President
___________________________
Sally Laukitis, Executive Director
To: Soren Wolff, City Manager
Al McGeehan, Mayor
Members of Holland City Council
The Holland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is in support of seven-day beverage sales within the City of Holland. As a vibrant, award-winning community, and one of the “Best Communities in Which to Retire”, Holland attracts visitors and residents from all 50 states, as well as many international destinations. Unfortunately, many of the visitors who come to the lakeshore spend Saturday in Holland and Sunday in Saugatuck, due to the discrepancy in liquor laws between the two communities. We frequently lose convention and meeting business because an evening cocktail reception cannot be held prior to a Monday morning business meeting. Holland, unfortunately, is not on a level playing field with our competition. From an economic development point of view, the Holland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau believes the city needs the necessary tools to compete when vying for the “new dollars” that the tourism and convention and meeting industry brings into a community.
As manufacturing jobs leave our area, tourism and the vibrancy of downtown play an even more critical role in Holland’s future. The Holland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors respectively request that Holland City Council take the necessary steps toward adopting the Ottawa and Allegan County standards for seven-day beverage sales in state-licensed establishments.
___________________________
Larry Weller, President
___________________________
Sally Laukitis, Executive Director
Thursday, January 18, 2007
How can I help?
Citizens for Progress has worked diligently to strategize and organize our thoughts in a manner that provides a rational cause for a change in the current Sunday alcohol policy. We are calling for the repeal of Holland’s Sunday alcohol policy. We realize that this is just one part of a larger Ottawa County Sunday prohibition. However, we feel this policy must be repealed first. We can then focus on the County wide prohibition of beer and wine.
We now need the support of the community, whether you are a business owner or citizen that is supportive of seeing Holland continue to grow and maintain a healthy economic outlook. We are asking that you allow us to use your name, and/or the name of your business, when we present at the City Council planning session on Wednesday, January 24, 2007. In so doing, you will show your support for moving Holland forward.
Please copy this form and paste it in your publisher program. Fill out the appropriate information and e-mail this information to citizensforprogress2007@gmail.com You may also include a separate letter on your letterhead. Your prompt reply is requested.
***********************************************************************
YES! I authorize Citizens for Progress to use my name and/or the name of my organization in support of the repeal of the current Sunday policy in Holland.
Name:
Business/Organization Name:
Address:
Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Signature:
We now need the support of the community, whether you are a business owner or citizen that is supportive of seeing Holland continue to grow and maintain a healthy economic outlook. We are asking that you allow us to use your name, and/or the name of your business, when we present at the City Council planning session on Wednesday, January 24, 2007. In so doing, you will show your support for moving Holland forward.
Please copy this form and paste it in your publisher program. Fill out the appropriate information and e-mail this information to citizensforprogress2007@gmail.com You may also include a separate letter on your letterhead. Your prompt reply is requested.
***********************************************************************
YES! I authorize Citizens for Progress to use my name and/or the name of my organization in support of the repeal of the current Sunday policy in Holland.
Name:
Business/Organization Name:
Address:
Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Signature:
Letter to City Council
January 17, 2007
To: City Council
Holland City Council, city planners and business owners have made a major investment in making Holland one of the best cities in the U.S. in which to live.
Since 1995, more than $235 million has been invested in tax dollars and private business in an effort to make the city and downtown area an exciting place to live and visit. The city’s picturesque downtown and vibrant shopping district has become a destination center for area residents and thousands of visitors every year. To its credit, Holland City Council, the Downtown Development Authority and the Principal Shopping District have been progressive in bringing outdoor dining, street side cafes and live entertainment to the downtown. All of this has added to the ambiance of an already great city.
Recently, City Council made changes to city policy allowing alcoholic beverage service at city-owned properties like Windmill Island, the Holland Museum and the Cappon House as well as allowing beverage services to customers on public sidewalks and right-of-ways for licensed business establishments.
We believe it is now time to take the next step in the continuing process of making Holland a great place to live and visit. Repealing the current city resolutions preventing state licensed restaurants from providing the sale of alcohol on Sunday within city boundaries is that step. We ask that these resolutions-established by a simple votes of council in 1980’s - be repealed by City Council, thus giving local merchants an opportunity to compete on a level playing field with other Ottawa County cities and municipalities that do not have this locally imposed restriction on Sunday liquor sales.
This restriction puts city businesses-not just restaurants-at a major disadvantage for growth and success. We believe the current policy is sending hundreds of thousands of dollars—that could be spent in our city--out of town every weekend to other shopping and dining destinations.
We believe a change to bring Holland’s Sunday beverage policy in line with the County policy would provide significant growth for the local economy. When we look only at the businesses that would be directly affected by this change… the impact is dramatic. We estimate that the addition of four extra days of full operation a month by the 20+ licensed restaurants in the city would add more than 8320 days of employment for hospitality workers in the city. Based on a 260-day work year, the change to the city policy would in effect add the equivalent of 32 new jobs in the city and create nearly $465,000 in additional payroll per year.
Considering the recognized multiplier effect that every dollar of salary will be spent seven times in the local area, the impact of the repeal would result in $4.1 million in additional spending power per year in the local economy. This does not include the additional jobs that may be created at other Holland businesses that would also see an increase in Sunday business by local residents and visitors attracted to downtown Holland and the city.
In addition, if just 5 percent of the city’s residents leave Holland city every Sunday to go to other West Michigan communities to dine, shop and seek entertainment, the loss to the local economy is tremendous. If 1,800 people leave the city and spend an average of $30 per person outside Holland each Sunday of the month, the direct loss to the Holland business community is equal to $1.3 million a year.
We estimate the loss is much greater than this when Sunday tourist spending and the loss of business on major holiday weekends are added.
As Holland business owners and city residents, we feel the restaurant and beverage businesses of the city are being singled out by a 26-year-old policy—instituted decades ago by a handful of people—that is restricting the business growth and economic development of our great and progressive community today.
We feel the current City policy is seriously detrimental to the future growth of Holland and its economy and is also discriminatory to small business owners in the community.
Therefore, we request Holland Council take steps to change the city resolutions banning Sunday liquor sales and adopt county standards for beverage sales in state licensed establishments.
Time is of the essence. We would like to see this policy change occur before the start of this summer and the city and its businesses lose prime tourist business days.
Thank you,
Citizens for Progress
To: City Council
Holland City Council, city planners and business owners have made a major investment in making Holland one of the best cities in the U.S. in which to live.
Since 1995, more than $235 million has been invested in tax dollars and private business in an effort to make the city and downtown area an exciting place to live and visit. The city’s picturesque downtown and vibrant shopping district has become a destination center for area residents and thousands of visitors every year. To its credit, Holland City Council, the Downtown Development Authority and the Principal Shopping District have been progressive in bringing outdoor dining, street side cafes and live entertainment to the downtown. All of this has added to the ambiance of an already great city.
Recently, City Council made changes to city policy allowing alcoholic beverage service at city-owned properties like Windmill Island, the Holland Museum and the Cappon House as well as allowing beverage services to customers on public sidewalks and right-of-ways for licensed business establishments.
We believe it is now time to take the next step in the continuing process of making Holland a great place to live and visit. Repealing the current city resolutions preventing state licensed restaurants from providing the sale of alcohol on Sunday within city boundaries is that step. We ask that these resolutions-established by a simple votes of council in 1980’s - be repealed by City Council, thus giving local merchants an opportunity to compete on a level playing field with other Ottawa County cities and municipalities that do not have this locally imposed restriction on Sunday liquor sales.
This restriction puts city businesses-not just restaurants-at a major disadvantage for growth and success. We believe the current policy is sending hundreds of thousands of dollars—that could be spent in our city--out of town every weekend to other shopping and dining destinations.
We believe a change to bring Holland’s Sunday beverage policy in line with the County policy would provide significant growth for the local economy. When we look only at the businesses that would be directly affected by this change… the impact is dramatic. We estimate that the addition of four extra days of full operation a month by the 20+ licensed restaurants in the city would add more than 8320 days of employment for hospitality workers in the city. Based on a 260-day work year, the change to the city policy would in effect add the equivalent of 32 new jobs in the city and create nearly $465,000 in additional payroll per year.
Considering the recognized multiplier effect that every dollar of salary will be spent seven times in the local area, the impact of the repeal would result in $4.1 million in additional spending power per year in the local economy. This does not include the additional jobs that may be created at other Holland businesses that would also see an increase in Sunday business by local residents and visitors attracted to downtown Holland and the city.
In addition, if just 5 percent of the city’s residents leave Holland city every Sunday to go to other West Michigan communities to dine, shop and seek entertainment, the loss to the local economy is tremendous. If 1,800 people leave the city and spend an average of $30 per person outside Holland each Sunday of the month, the direct loss to the Holland business community is equal to $1.3 million a year.
We estimate the loss is much greater than this when Sunday tourist spending and the loss of business on major holiday weekends are added.
As Holland business owners and city residents, we feel the restaurant and beverage businesses of the city are being singled out by a 26-year-old policy—instituted decades ago by a handful of people—that is restricting the business growth and economic development of our great and progressive community today.
We feel the current City policy is seriously detrimental to the future growth of Holland and its economy and is also discriminatory to small business owners in the community.
Therefore, we request Holland Council take steps to change the city resolutions banning Sunday liquor sales and adopt county standards for beverage sales in state licensed establishments.
Time is of the essence. We would like to see this policy change occur before the start of this summer and the city and its businesses lose prime tourist business days.
Thank you,
Citizens for Progress
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