This new year, one New Jersey town is a dry town no longer.
Haddon Heights in Camden County is getting ready to allow liquor licenses for the first time ever after voters gave the go-ahead back in November.
But, there are still several steps that need to happen first so don't pop those bottles just yet.
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Haddon Heights Mayor Zachory Houck told NBC10 that he is confident that sometime in 2025 the borough will sell its first liquor license.
“This is the year that Haddon heights will no longer be dry," Mayor Houck said.
The residents of the town voted three to two in favor of allowing the borough to issue liquor licenses.
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That vote paved the way for lifting the liquor ban, but nothing was immediate so the town is still dry for now.
“By summer someone will be up and running serving some of the first drinks here in Haddon Heights," Houck hopes.
So, what's next? A town hall meeting.
“Follow that by us crafting an ordinance to permit the sale and where they would be zoned for and then we would create the bid process," Houck explained.
It will be an open bid process and based on the population size of Haddon Heights, just two licenses will be permitted.
Family-owned restaurant Kunkel's Seafood and Steakhouse on Kings Highway will be following the process very closely.
Kunkel's has been a staple of the town for 20 years and built a bar hoping they would be able to get a liquor license, but has been forced to stay as a BYOB.
“We are a family business we would like this to continue on to the next generation," Kunkel's owner John Kunkel told NBC10. “A liquor license coming along would benefit it to the point where the next generation could carry it through."
Being able to sell alcohol would help boost sales overall, but they still have a lot of questions about the process to get the license, including how much it will cost.
“I’m not about to spend $500,000 on a liquor license," Kunkel said.
The town's mayor says they will look to other communities for guidance.
"We will probably look at other communities of similar type. We are not Cherry Hill. I don’t think you are going to see a license go for half a million or a million dollars," Houck said. “The purpose of these liquor licenses is to generate more foot traffic on our beautiful downtown to help showcase some of the great stores we already have.”
The town hall meeting has not been scheduled yet, but the mayor said they are aiming for the end of January or early February.
