TYLER (KYTX) -- City leaders in Tyler say they want to be prepared in case the alcohol initiative passes in Tyler. A presentation given at this morning's council meeting outlined some possible ordinance changes.
One concern has to do with beer barns. "We're trying to limit those as much as we can," Mark Whatley, District 5 Councilman, said.
Where to allow these facilities, is a concern city planners are tackling.
"Our proposal is to limit those type of enclosed, drive-thru facilities to a certain zone through a special-use permit," Heather Nick, City Planner of Tyler, said.
Nick says that means possibly restricting beer barns to industrial zones only. "What do the citizens of our city want? They really like the natural beauty of our city," Nick said.
On some issues, their hands are tied. "Initially, we thought we could be restrictive on signage but state law doesn't allow us to do that," Whatley said.
But that doesn't mean all jurisdiction is taken away. Tyler already has guidelines in place for the dimensions of temporary and permanent signs, there is just a line you can't cross.
"You have to be very careful with signage, you get into the first amendment and you can't regulate what the signage says"
The one catch: you can't discriminate against beer and wine stores, so any changes made to sign guidelines will apply to all businesses.
