One year later — 05/21/08

May 20, 2008 02:35 pm

— A year ago Thursday — May 22, 2007 — Boyd County voters overwhelmingly approved “moist” referendum to allow the sale of liquor-by-the-drink in large restaurants throughout the county. Unfortunately, we’re still waiting for most of the economic development we thought that vote would generate.
To be sure, some changes have occurred. One restaurant at the Kyova Mall now sells alcohol, and a pizza parlor in Caltettsburg now offers beer. However, the large, national chain restaurants — Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Friday’s, etc. — that many anticipated the “moist” law would bring to Boyd County, Catlettsburg and the previously dry precincts in Ashland have yet to locate here.
We find that surprising and a little disheartening. Two days after the “moist” law was approved, we wrote in this space that “a popular restaurant or two would attract more visitors to the mall, which would in turn help fill the smaller shops.” In addition, we said that with the vote, “there is an excellent possibility of attracting large restaurants to the commercial districts of Ashland outside the two ‘wet’ precincts, to Catlettsburg and to commercial property along U.S. 23 and U.S. 60.”
We still believe that. It’s just that the economy of the nation as a whole and this community in particular apparently is not right to attracting more restaurants that will seat at least 100 and receive 70 percent of their revenue from non-alcohol sales.
That’s bound to change. The restaurants in the Ashland’s “wet” precincts continue to be crowded night after night, indicating that the local market for such eateries has yet to be saturated.
Economic progress in this community has seldom come as quickly as hoped. We continue to be optimistic that the “moist” vote will boost Boyd County’s economy. But, once again, we must be patient.