{"id":4401,"date":"2026-08-07T10:07:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T10:07:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4401"},"modified":"2026-08-07T10:07:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T10:07:43","slug":"forest-acres-challenges-mini-mart-beer-permit-near-trenholm-park-fearing-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=4401","title":{"rendered":"Forest Acres challenges mini mart beer permit near Trenholm Park, fearing crime"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forest Acres leaders are asking a judge to block a beer and wine permit for a newly renovated convenience store at the edge of Trenholm Park, arguing the park and a nearby daycare make it an unsuitable location, and that allowing more alcohol sales there could undermine work being done to shape the surrounding area into a neighborhood gathering place described in court as \u201cspecial\u201d but, \u201cfragile.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Evette on SC gov run: \u2018I don\u2019t play that could have, would have, should have\u2019<\/a><\/p>

The dispute also touches on broader questions that have surfaced elsewhere around Columbia, where residents and law enforcement have challenged some convenience stores over concerns about alcohol sales, crime, and how residents say the stores can impact neighborhoods.<\/p>

But the applicant, 26-year-old University of South Carolina Ph.D. student Jasdeep Singh, says his store at 4424 Bethel Church Rd. would benefit the community by filling an abandoned space and by giving Trenholm Park\u2019s visitors a place to buy things like water and Gatorade.<\/p>

South Carolina Administrative Law Judge Phillip Lenski heard testimony from both sides during a hearing over the beer and wine permit Aug. 5, and said he expects to issue a decision soon.<\/p>

The disputed location<\/h2>

Singh\u2019s business Bethel Church Road Mini Mart sits at the intersection of Bethel Church and Covenant roads, in a small pocket surrounded by tree-lined neighborhood streets and several apartment complexes. Next door is a daycare center, and behind it is Trenholm Park, where hundreds of families gather for Little League games and other activities.<\/p>

The intersection is part of Forest Acres\u2019 Covenant Crossing district. Once the industrial hub of that area in its past life as the Landrum-Stork brickyard, today the area is a mixed-bag, with \u201cfamily-centric\u201d services like the park and daycare, but also the area with the highest police call volume in the roughly 10,500 person city, Forest Acres Police Chief Don Robinson testified.<\/p>

It\u2019s also the focus of a promised renewal, where leaders say they see coffee shops and restaurants. The City Council has recently passed zoning rules meant to help shape that vision, including restrictions on alcohol sales.<\/p>