There ought to be a density limit for off-premises liquor sales. Saturating certain neighborhoods with these outlets contributes not only to chronic alcoholism but concentrates alcohol-related problems in those areas.

Alcohol Impact Areas (AIA's) are a good idea. But, like many other good ideas, they don't have the effectiveness that is assumed.
Like prostitution, alcoholism has been around since forever. Drunks are going to get drunk. Hookers will ply their trade. Emphasis patrols for prostitution may yield a few arrests, but the largest effect it has is in moving the activity to another neighborhood.
Likewise, AIA's. When the AIA went into effect downtown, the drunks went to another neighborhood. The Mckinley area became saturated with the alcoholics from downtown.
Stopping the sale of high alcohol content beer and wine in that neighborhood will not solve the problems that they are faced with now. Those problems will only move to another neighborhood just like it does when prostitution stings are done.
The problem of public drunkenness and the things that go with it will move to the neighborhoods East and West of the impact areas. The area North of the Mall between I-5 and South Tacoma Way will be the next one asking to be designated as an AIA. Why not save the time and designate the entire City of Tacoma as an AIA? That way we can send the problem to Fife and Lakewood.

I wish we could designate the entire city as an AIA - as someone who grew up with an alcoholic mother, I know what lengths they will got o to get a fix....

State law prohibits designating an entire jurisdiction...Thje AIA only deals with where the problem is, not where it will go..The current AIA does encompass the McKinley area...because there is a prblem there.. as well as my own neighborhood (Whitman)

I wish there was an easy solution - I have spent almost three years going after this..I would be happy to help the next neighborhood ask for one as well...