The ruling from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission ends a long-standing rule that prohibited liquor stores from operating within a half-mile of each other.
Operators like Costco Wholesale should love the rule, existing owners argue. They say they bought or built their businesses with the understanding that no other liquor outlet could open within half a mile.
Andrew Deloney, chairman, views it as a matter of competition, saying there isn’t a compelling reason to provide geographic protection to liquor stores when it’s not available to bar, restaurant or night club owners.