BUTLER TWP — The Giant Eagle at Moraine Pointe Plaza is one step closer to selling beer and wine, after township commissioners Monday approved the transfer of a liquor license from a Summit Township business.

The unanimous vote came after brief testimony from Rudolph Zupancic, the owner of Z Pointe Enterprises, which owns the Giant Eagle location, at a public hearing on the transfer. Zupancic testified that the store was still working through different options for where in the store beer and wine would be sold, but said he expects some new construction to take place sectioning off a portion of the store for alcohol sales.

Zupancic also testified that the store would abide by state regulations that limit the amount of alcohol the store can sell to two six packs of beer or two bottles of wine, as well as rules that limit in-store consumption to two beers per person. Zupancic assured commissioners that the store wasn't trying to promote customers drinking in the grocery store.

“This will not be a bar atmosphere,” he said. “It's simply for the convenience of our customers, to come and buy packaged beer for consumption off-site.”

The store would not sell liquor, Zupancic testified. The state also regulates when alcohol sales can begin and must end.

The company must still apply to the state Liquor Control Board for final approval on the license transfer. Zupancic said that process includes an in-person investigation by the LCB that would determine whether the store is following state guidelines for alcohol sales. There was no immediate information on how long that process was expected to take.