City objects to liquor permit for bed and breakfast

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By Joanne Huist Smith, Staff Writer Updated 10:52 AM Thursday, October 8, 2009

DAYTON — The City Commission, on Wednesday, Oct. 7, voted 4-1 to object to a liquor permit application for a bed and breakfast in the Oregon Historic District.

Leslie and Jeffery Gonya, owners of Inn Port D’Vino, 22 Brown Street, said they want to share their love of wine with inn patrons. They would like to sell wine from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday in a retail section of their establishment.

“It’s meant to be an enhancement to the bed and breakfast experience,” Leslie Gonya said.

The retail operation also would be open to the general public.

George Wymer, president of the Oregon Historic District Society, said the Gonyas are respected friends and neighbors. However, he opposes the permit application, because of the over saturation of liquor-selling establishments in the district.

The City Commission, in September 2004, adopted an informal resolution supporting the finding that permitting more than 17 liquor establishments in a three-block area was harmful to the health, safety and welfare of residents there.

Mayor Rhine McLin, along with commissioners Dean Lovelace, Joey Williams and Matt Joseph voted to object to the permit application, citing that informal resolution.

City Commissioner Nan Whaley, who did not object, said the city should look beyond the quantity of permits in the Oregon District to the quality and type of establishments making permit applications.

The state Division of Liquor Control will be scheduling a hearing to consider the application.

The Fifth Street Wine & Deli, now open for wine sales, faced a similar challenge in 2007. City Commission also objected to that liquor permit application based on testimony from residents who felt the commercial district has been saturated with liquor permits since 1982.

The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control overruled the city’s objection and ordered the application process to continue.

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