The Community of Lumberton will soon get a liquor store soon in front of Grace Lake Estates and Westwood Subdivision, in between Walton Road and Chance Cut-Off (see map below)
Remember when the issue of alcohol sales in the west Precint of Lumberton, TX was initially brought up several years ago? Some businesses, specifically Developer Dennis Williams, said they were pushing for alcohol sales in order to bring nice restaurants into the Community of Lumberton over there on Hwy 69 and that there was no threat of liquor stores moving in. The people of Lumberton wanted to be able to vote on this issue. They wanted to have a say in deciding to keep things the same or if they want to change their community and transition to a regular city like Beaumont and away from being a fairly safe and peaceful, Texas bedroom community. I am all for the people getting to decide on important issues like this so I got the issue on the ballot and was going to be satisfied with whatever the people of Lumberton decided. That is democracy right? Well, the residents in the City of Lumberton actually overwhelmingly voted against alcohol sales in within the city limits. They said that they like their community the way it is and are just fine with going down the road to get their alcohol if it means the trouble associated with those establishments will stay down the road too. Like it or not, that is their decision to make and they made it. Sometimes people just like things the way they are now instead of making big changes. Change is not always good, just look at what Obama has done under the theme of change. Anyways, Lumberton moved past that issue and is doing great. The City continues to grow and has no problem balancing the city budget with the current sales tax revenue and all without a city property tax. That is miles above the budget problems that some of the surrounding cities have recently had even though those cities have a property tax and alcohol sales. The drainage problems are getting better in some areas of Lumberton because of the detention ponds built with hurricane money, and there is even a road about to open through the middle of the city that will help local traffic to be able to get back and forth through the city.
Although the City limits of Lumberton cannot have alcohol sales, there is actually a part of the Community of Lumberton on Highway 69 in front of Westwood Subdivision that is not in the city limits. This area is in the Community of Lumberton, but it is just outside the city limits and therefore they can have alcohol sales. Here comes the fancy restaurant right? Wrong. There will soon be a liquor store moving in. It is being developed by Dennis Williams. I guess he lied about wanting to bring in restaurants and no liquor stores. Did anyone really believe him anyways? Now this liquor store is of no concern to me because it is not in the city limits of Lumberton and therefore does not go against the vote of the people. I just think it is ironic that they are building a liquor store and not a fancy restaurant as promised when they were pushing for alcohol sales on that side of town. After all, these big-city fancy restaurants are just dying to move away from the bigger city of Beaumont and into the smaller community of Lumberton right? Apparently they don’t because if they did then they would be building a restaurant in front of Westwood Subdivision instead of a liquor store. I personally would rather support the great local establishments we have here in Lumberton anyways instead of letting them be taken over by the national chains.
