LONGVIEW, Texas — Editor's Note: The above video was published on Dec. 4, 2023.
The Longview City Council on Thursday approved making an exception to allow the upcoming Fresh by Brookshire's to sell alcoholic beverages.
The council voted in favor of allowing a variance to the requirements of the Longview City Code saying that a business that sells alcoholic drinks must be at least 300 feet away from a school.
This issue came up as the Brookshire Grocery Co. is building a Longview location for its Fresh grocery store at 3121 N. Eastman Rd., and the property line is shared with the UT Tyler Longview University Center that houses UT Tyler University Academy at Longview, city spokesperson Richard Yeakley said.
The council members approved the request to allow the sale of alcohol at the future Fresh. Yeakley said UT Tyler also gave a letter to city officials supporting Fresh coming into the area as their neighbor, saying the school didn't see an issue with the grocery store selling its products.
The Longview location will be at the corner of U.S. Highway 259 and N. Fourth Street. Brookshire Grocery Co. expects the store to open in 2025.
Fresh offers several chef-prepared entrees, authentic Japanese ramen and Vietnamese pho counters, a taco bar, brick-oven Neapolitan-style pizza, an artisan bakery, dry-aged beef, full-service meat and seafood counter, a charcuterie and cheese selections, fresh produce with a large variety of organics and a full-service floral shop. There is also a coffee bar, hand-crafted gelato, patio dining, outdoor café, live music, and on-site parks with children’s playgrounds.
The Longview location will be Fresh's third store. The Tyler store opened in 2011 and the location in Fate opened in 2022.