Middleburgh liquor license gets a one-property carveout

In New York, a liquor license that would normally run into the state’s 200-foot rule could still be issued for one Middleburgh property in Schoharie County. The bill amends subdivision 7 of section 64-a of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law by adding a new paragraph (c-7), creating an exception that would let the authority issue a retail license for on-premises consumption at a premises located within 200 feet of a building.

That matters because the proposal does not reopen the rule for everyone else. It names a specific parcel in the town and village of Middleburgh, so the relief would follow the property, not the broader neighborhood.

A one-parcel exception

The premises would still have to be a place that sells food or beverages at retail for consumption on the premises. But the key change is the location: the bill would allow the license even though the property sits close to a school, church, synagogue or other place of worship.

The exemption is narrow enough to read like a one-off fix, not a rewrite of the state’s licensing rules.