After Cornelia citizens overwhelmingly passed the city’s liquor referendum in the November 2021 elections, which would allow liquor stores to open within city limits, proposals to open up shop are coming in. Monday night, the city council approved plans for the first liquor store in Cornelia.
The city council passed amendments to their alcohol ordinance in December of 2021 that would allow liquor store sales. Monday, they unanimously approved the store location after receiving the city planning commission’s recommendation.
Click here to read the alcohol ordinance amendments
The liquor store, Habersham Package, owned by Brijesh Shah, will move into the Habersham Hills shopping center. Habersham Package will open in the old Sleep Center mattress store near Goodwill and Dollar Tree.
Liquor stores in Cornelia are limited to setting up shop along the city’s highway business district, away from Downtown Cornelia and the historic district, according to the ordinance amendments.
The liquor store will be around 7,000 square feet total, and Shah says he also owns a liquor store in Athens. No one spoke in favor of or against the store opening at the meeting.
A recording of the meeting is available here.
