Should more restaurants in Sitka serve beer and wine? At its meeting tonight (10-28-25), the Sitka Assembly will consider whether to petition the state alcohol board for up to three additional alcohol licenses.
The State of Alaska limits restaurant beer and wine licenses to one for every 1,500 people. Sitka technically has already met the state limit for a town of its size, holding six year-round licenses and two seasonal tourism licenses. But sponsors of the petition say that number doesn’t necessarily take into account the influx of visitors, especially throughout the summer cruise season.
Sponsors of the revised resolution, Thor Christianson and JJ Carlson, say their goal is to foster business opportunities for new and growing restaurants that can provide expanded dining options to meet seasonal visitor demand, as well as year-round dining and employment opportunities for locals.
Since 2023, similar petitions from Juneau, Homer, Haines, Soldotna, Wasilla, and Valdez have been approved. The assembly delayed a vote on whether to ask the state for the additional Restaurant and Eating Place Licenses at its meeting in mid-August (8-12-25), calling for more discussion.
In other business, the assembly is also scheduled to consider the 2026 Commercial Recreational Land Use Plan at its meeting tonight. The Sitka Assembly meets at 6 p.m. Raven News will broadcast the meeting live, following Alaska News Nightly.
