No Appeal Planned for Proposed Wegmans Liquor Store

The lawyer for the owners of the on the second floor of the Columbia said Friday the owners were not planning to appeal the the store a liquor license.

"When the written decision comes out," said Thomas Meachum, referring to the official written opinion of the board members, "[Christopher O'Donnell] will not appeal."

O'Donnell, the potential 90 percent owner of the liquor store and husband to Wegmans President Colleen Wegman, and his partner Mike Smith, the potential 10 percent owner, were for the store in July. The decision followed a series of controversial hearings on the store that brought out liquor store owners from around the state who testified against the store in front of the board.

O'Donnell did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Currently, the approximately 10,000 square foot space where the liquor store was planned sits empty with large Wegmans banners covering its windows. Outside, it's surrounded by people sitting at tables, dining on Wegmans' prepared foods bought from the nearby cafe.

As for what plans to do with the space, Jo Natale, a spokesperson for Wegmans, wrote in an email, "We have not yet determined what we will do with the space."

However, that doesn't mean we can't ask readers what you would like to see fill the space.

The possibilities are endless. Perhaps more dining space? A 'unique' foods section? A cooking classroom? A food museum? A coffee shop? A disco? Fine dining area? A local business? Party store? Or perhaps, you still support a liquor store, believe it's the best option and don't want anything besides a liquor store going in there?

Do you have any ideas of what you'd like to see in the empty space on the second floor of Wegmans? Tell us in the comments.

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