Pre-2017 DABS variance system
Before 2017, the DABS liquor commission had the authority to grant variances for restaurants and bars too close to community locations like parks and schools.
The authority was stripped, and no such variances were granted between 2017 and 2026.
The prohibition created a blind spot for new development planned near large parks, which became a growing planning issue.
This history explains why Via Veneto's case is the first in a decade and why the new law restores a broken path.
