ELYRIA — State liquor officials decided a Middle Avenue store’s seedy atmosphere is sufficient reason to ban the business from selling liquor. Gas USA, at Middle Avenue and Eighth Street, was denied a request for a liquor permit because it would contribute to the decline of “public decency, sobriety, peace or good order,” the Ohio Department of Commerce’s liquor division decided Thursday.

The store, owned by Jasvinder Gill, has long been a source of problems for Elyria police and residents in the area, said Chris Baker, director of South Elyria Neighborhood Development Corp. 

CHRONICLE FILE

State officials denied the liquor permit request for the Gas USA station on Middle Avenue in Elyria.

“We knew (the decision) was coming, but we didn’t know what the outcome would be,” Baker said Thursday. “We’re working to revitalize the neighborhood; that place has been a source of problems for some time.”

Baker said the state’s refusal to issue Gas USA a liquor permit is a big step toward reinvigorating the Middle Avenue area.
Elyria police Lt. Andy Eichenlaub declined to speculate on the impact the state’s decision will have on the neighborhood.

“We haven’t weighed in on whether businesses should or should not receive their liquor license,” Eichenlaub said. “The statistics pretty much speak for themselves.” 

Gas USA has been without a liquor permit since November 2006, when state officials denied a renewal for a previous owner because the store “saw more police activity than any other permit business in Elyria.” 

Since then, Elyria police have seen its emergency calls drop by one-third, the state liquor division said Thursday.

State liquor officials and Elyria officials held a hearing Aug. 6 on Gas USA’s most recent liquor license application, which was ultimately rejected because a hodge-podge of criminal activity played out near the store, including drug trafficking, prostitution, loitering, public consumption of alcohol and littering, liquor officials said.

But since Gas USA will become physically closer to Elyria High School in the coming years — Elyria school officials are planning to expand a new high school one block southward — state officials said the store shouldn’t become a headquarters for crime.

“There is a concern for the safety of these high school students if this liquor permit is issued,” the liquor division ruled. “The crowd of people that congregated at this location created an unsafe environment for neighborhood residents and students from Elyria High School.”

The store’s owner has 30 days to appeal the ruling. The lack of liquor sales at Gas USA, however, may be creating new problems for another business across town: Dairy Mart on Lake Avenue.

Eichenlaub said police have seen a recent increase in fights, theft and people gathering at the Lake Avenue Dairy Mart, though he isn’t certain it’s related to changes at Gas USA.

“I don’t know if it’s directly related,” Eichenlaub said. “This year, (Dairy Mart) started to become a gathering place around bar-closing time.”

Dairy Mart owners recently applied for liquor license renewal, and Elyria officials objected. An Oct. 31 hearing could weigh heavily on whether state liquor officials decide to renew the store’s liquor permit.

Eichenlaub said the store’s owner has agreed this week to start closing the store at 1 a.m., rather than staying open
24 hours.

Contact Shawn Foucher at 653-6255 or sfoucher@chroniclet.com. 

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