The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, March 14, 1996               TAG: 9603140302
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                     LENGTH: Medium:   78 lines

BREW THRU DEBATE

Ask resort area civic leaders what affect a proposed Brew-Thru would have on Oceanfront neighborhoods and words like snarled traffic, litter, drinking and driving spring from their lips.

Ask the businessmen who are building the store to describe their venture and words like convenience, pizza, cappuccino, beer and the store's ever popular T-shirts come to mind.

What the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Board thinks is unclear, but on Thursday a board hearing officer will take final testimony on a controversial business proposal that has energized a faction of the resort area's civic leaders.

The officer's report will help the three-member ABC panel in Richmond decide if the store receives a license to sell alcoholic beverages.

During five hours of testimony Wednesday, board hearing officer Tom Baynham listened as the store was condemned by the Virginia Beach Police Department, the area civic league, a citizens advisory commission, a Virginia senator, a delegate and the president of Virginians Opposing Drunk Driving.

Located at 29th Street and Pacific Avenue, the proposed store would be the first of its kind in Hampton Roads and one of only a few in Virginia. If granted a license, patrons could drive into the store, step out of their cars, and order not only beer but a wide range of convenience foods, sodas and coffees.

Opponents argue that Pacific Avenue is one of the resort area's most congested streets - especially in the summer when traffic is diverted off Atlantic Avenue. They also say that with 145 licenses already in use within a one-mile radius of the store, the resort area can ill afford another business that sells beer.

``I hope the ABC board will turn this down,'' said state Sen. Mark L. Earley, whose remarks were typical of the opposition. ``Everything that Virginia has done in the last 10 years is to de-link alcohol and driving. This is not a beef jerky store. It's a brew through.''

As Earley testified Wednesday, a letter was circulating through the hearing room.

Penned by Del. Glenn R. Croshaw, the letter said, ``It is my opinion that this method ofmixing alcohol with persons operating a motor vehicle is not consistent with the commonwealth's long-standing opposition to drinking and driving.''

Earlier this year, Croshaw sponsored a bill in the General Assembly that would have banned the business. It was tabled after the House of Delegates approved it by an 84-16 vote and a Senate committee chose to study the matter for another year.

The prospect of opening a business that has little apparent backing from civic leaders troubles the three partners who are building it. Despite opposition, they are optimistic and have begun construction.

What bothers them most are the misconceptions about what they plan. George Hazzis, who owns several Domino's Pizza franchises and is one of the Brew-Thru financial backers, said the store will offer far more than beer.

``Once people take time to learn more about it, they'll see that it's not what they think it is,'' said Hazzis, who may take the witness stand Thursday at the ABC District office on South Military Highway.

``People think that all we're going to sell is beer and that's not the case. We're going to have a Domino's outlet there, coffee, cappuccino, doughnuts, convenience foods and T-shirts,'' he said.

John B. Russell Jr., the attorney representing the applicants, poked holes in the testimony of nearly every opponent by showing they had never previously opposed an ABC license nor had they fought the applications of gas stations, 7-Elevens and other businesses that sell beer to driving patrons. ILLUSTRATION: VP Map

David B. Hollingsworth

The Virginian-Pilot

While the area's first Brew-Thru is under construction at 29th

Street and Pacific Avenue in Virginia Beach, its owners are still

trying to get a license to sell alcoholic beverages.

by CNB