This bill aims to facilitate the transfer and sale of inactive plenary retail consumption liquor licenses to qualifying smart growth municipalities in New Jersey. It recognizes the challenges faced by these municipalities, which often have a lack of available licenses due to existing restrictions that limit the issuance of new licenses based on population. The bill allows for the purchase of inactive licenses by corporations or entities intending to operate restaurants or bars in these smart growth areas, provided that the licenses are subsequently transferred to establishments within real estate development projects. The bill also establishes a fee structure for the transfer of these licenses, which includes payments to both the sending municipality and the director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).

Additionally, the bill repeals certain provisions from previous legislation that allowed the director to issue special permits for serving alcoholic beverages in smart growth development projects. It mandates that the director must approve the transfer of inactive licenses based on the municipality's inability to issue sufficient new licenses to meet demand. The bill also outlines the necessary resolutions from both the sending and receiving municipalities to facilitate the transfer and ensures that the licenses remain subject to existing regulations. Overall, the legislation seeks to promote economic development in smart growth communities by enabling the activation of dormant liquor licenses.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 33:1-24.3