OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Howard County Alcoholic Beverage Hearing Board Meeting - August 25, 2026

County Council & Boards — Tuesday, August 25, 2026
BodyHoward County, Maryland
SessionCounty Council & Boards
DateTuesday, August 25, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:06:46

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

And summarized.

0:07

Welcome to the August 25th, 2026 Howard County Alcohol and Beverage Hearing Board Hearing.

0:20

First, as the matter of the uh as a first matter, uh I want to uh uh approve the minutes of uh July 21st, 2026.

0:30

I trust the uh board members have reviewed the minutes.

0:34

Um do I have a motion uh move that we approve the uh meeting minutes of July 21st, 2026?

0:51

Mr.

0:51

Chen?

0:52

Yes.

0:52

Mr.

0:53

Coleman?

0:53

Yes.

0:54

Mr.

0:54

Hunt.

0:54

Yes.

0:55

Ms.

0:55

Johnson?

0:56

Yes.

0:57

Ms.

0:58

Kim.

0:59

Yes.

1:00

Thank you.

1:02

The first case is uh extension of premises of a class A, beer, wine, and the liquor seven-day on sale license uh from OHM NEE KON'S Corp, treating as absolutely wine in the spirits in the name of uh NEPA Lalite Patel uh for uh 3,080 square feet uh package store located at uh 5305 Village Center Drive Suite 102, Columbia, Maryland, 21044 to the same company and the same owner at the same location.

1:47

So uh law office.

1:54

Yes, Mr.

1:54

Chairman, all of the documents on fire are incorporated by reference.

1:58

Okay.

1:58

I believe this course is represented by uh Mr.

2:01

Martin Johnson.

2:03

Thank you, Mr.

2:04

Chairman.

2:04

Uh Martin Johnson of Maryland Liquor Licensed Services.

2:08

Uh with me tonight are Neepa Patel, your licensee and her husband, General Manager of the store, Amit Patel.

2:15

Uh and if it's okay with the board, I have one quick statement under oath, and then uh I would like to ask questions of the two.

2:24

Sure.

2:24

Uh I guess so let me swear all three of you in.

2:31

Do you promise that the testimony that you are going to give today will be the choose whole choose, nothing but the choose?

2:37

Yes, I do.

2:37

Yes, yes.

2:38

Okay, please uh individually state your name and address.

2:42

Thank you.

2:43

Martin Johnson, 9869 Diversified Lane, Ellicott City, Maryland, 21042.

2:50

Nepa Patel, 9879 Deer Run, Laurel, Maryland, 2072.

2:58

Amit Patel 9879 Deer Run.

3:02

Laurel, Maryland 2072.

3:07

Thank you, Mr.

3:07

Chairman.

3:08

Uh this is a uh liquor store that that's uh full service liquor store located at the Wild Lake Village Center, which is on the west side of Columbia, not too far from uh Columbia Mall, and it kind of makes a triangle uh with try with uh Columbia Mall and uh the uh Hickory Ridge Shopping Center among among the other centers that are out there.

3:34

Uh if I may, I'd like to uh do some brief questioning for the benefit of the board of both Mr.

3:41

and Mrs.

3:42

Patel, and certainly if the board has any questions, especially after that, they're welcome.

3:50

So if I may, uh let me start with uh Mrs.

3:54

Patel Nepa.

3:56

Uh you are one of 30 businesses at the shopping center, including restaurants, shops, and offices.

4:03

Yes, that's correct.

4:04

Okay.

4:05

And how long have you owned this rest uh this uh liquor store?

4:10

Seven years.

4:10

Uh we got the license in November 2019.

4:13

Okay.

4:14

And are you aware that the liquor store has been there for at least 30 years?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Alcohol Regulation█████████████████████████████████████████████45%
Business Licensing████████████████████████████████████████40%
Community Engagement████4%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Public Safety███3%
Procedural██2%
Personnel Matters██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Howard County Alcoholic Beverage Hearing Board Meeting - August 25, 2026

The Howard County Alcoholic Beverage Hearing Board met on August 25, 2026 at 6:30 PM in the Banneker Room, Ellicott City, MD. The board unanimously approved the prior meeting minutes and two license applications.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The board unanimously approved the minutes of the July 21, 2026 meeting. (Motion by Chair Chen, seconded; all members voted yes.)

Discussion Items

Extension of Premises – Absolutely Wine & Spirits

The board considered a request by OHM Nilkanth Corp. (t/a Absolutely Wine & Spirits), licensee Nipa Lalit Patel, to extend its premises from 3,080 sq. ft. to 3,980 sq. ft. at 5305 Village Center Drive, Suite 102, Columbia. The 900 sq. ft. expansion would take over an adjacent former seafood space.

Testimony: Representatives Martin Johnson, Nipa Patel, and Amit Patel testified under oath. Key points:

  • Seven years of operation with no alcohol compliance violations.
  • Use of IntelliCheck age ID scanning; 1-3 fake IDs detected per month.
  • 199 Google reviews, average rating 4.5/5.
  • Extensive community involvement (Wild Lake outreach, coat drives, food pantry, school events).
  • Expansion to allow increased inventory, quantity discount purchasing (estimated 5-7 dollar savings per item for customers), and educational tasting events for whiskey, tequila, and craft beer.
  • Two new employees to be hired (one already added).
  • Existing surveillance cameras to be extended; current hours maintained (10am-10pm Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm Sun).
  • Construction expected to take six months after approval.

Board Comments: Members praised the applicants’ track record, community investment, detailed plan for the space, and educational component. All found the applicants fit and proper.

Vote: Unanimous approval (5-0). The licensee waived the right to appeal.

New Class B License – Uzu Revolving Sushi & K-Pub

The board considered an application by YJLLK, Inc. (t/a Uzu Revolving Sushi & K-Pub), in the names of Yoojun Kim and Lex Kim, for a new Class B beer, wine, and liquor 7-day on/off sale license for a 6,000 sq. ft. restaurant at 8801 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City.

Testimony: Representatives Martin Johnson, Yoojun Kim, and Lex Kim testified. Key points:

  • Yoojun Kim has over 20 years of restaurant experience and currently operates SushiQ in Ellicott City (licensed 1.5 years, no violations).
  • The restaurant will feature a dual conveyor belt system: one for pre-made sushi rotating through tables, another robotic "train" for special orders via iPad.
  • Seating capacity 150 (40-45 tables, 10 bar seats); three group rooms.
  • Alcohol sales estimated at 5-10% of revenue, focusing on sake, beer, and premium sakes.
  • Hours: Sunday 12pm-12am; Monday-Thursday 11am-1am; Friday-Saturday 11am-2am.
  • Detailed alcohol service policies: mandatory ID check for anyone appearing under 40; refusal of vertical driver's licenses (except military ID); manager intervention for questionable patrons; written alcohol training test; staff sign policy documents; record-keeping for two years.
  • The location (formerly Viet Pearl) has been vacant; the space is under construction.
  • Target opening: November 2026.

Board Comments: Members recognized the unique and modern concept, filling a large vacant space, and comprehensive alcohol service planning. Some noted potential for higher alcohol sales given late hours but found controls adequate.

Vote: Unanimous approval (5-0). The applicant waived the right to appeal.

Key Outcomes

  • Absolutely Wine & Spirits extension of premises approved unanimously. Expansion expected to be completed in approximately six months.
  • Uzu Revolving Sushi & K-Pub new Class B license approved unanimously. Restaurant aims to open by November 2026.
  • Both licensees waived their right to appeal.

Meeting Transcript

And summarized. Welcome to the August 25th, 2026 Howard County Alcohol and Beverage Hearing Board Hearing. First, as the matter of the uh as a first matter, uh I want to uh uh approve the minutes of uh July 21st, 2026. I trust the uh board members have reviewed the minutes. Um do I have a motion uh move that we approve the uh meeting minutes of July 21st, 2026? Mr. Chen? Yes. Mr. Coleman? Yes. Mr. Hunt. Yes. Ms. Johnson? Yes. Ms. Kim. Yes. Thank you. The first case is uh extension of premises of a class A, beer, wine, and the liquor seven-day on sale license uh from OHM NEE KON'S Corp, treating as absolutely wine in the spirits in the name of uh NEPA Lalite Patel uh for uh 3,080 square feet uh package store located at uh 5305 Village Center Drive Suite 102, Columbia, Maryland, 21044 to the same company and the same owner at the same location. So uh law office. Yes, Mr. Chairman, all of the documents on fire are incorporated by reference. Okay. I believe this course is represented by uh Mr. Martin Johnson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh Martin Johnson of Maryland Liquor Licensed Services. Uh with me tonight are Neepa Patel, your licensee and her husband, General Manager of the store, Amit Patel. Uh and if it's okay with the board, I have one quick statement under oath, and then uh I would like to ask questions of the two. Sure. Uh I guess so let me swear all three of you in. Do you promise that the testimony that you are going to give today will be the choose whole choose, nothing but the choose? Yes, I do. Yes, yes. Okay, please uh individually state your name and address. Thank you. Martin Johnson, 9869 Diversified Lane, Ellicott City, Maryland, 21042. Nepa Patel, 9879 Deer Run, Laurel, Maryland, 2072. Amit Patel 9879 Deer Run. Laurel, Maryland 2072. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh this is a uh liquor store that that's uh full service liquor store located at the Wild Lake Village Center, which is on the west side of Columbia, not too far from uh Columbia Mall, and it kind of makes a triangle uh with try with uh Columbia Mall and uh the uh Hickory Ridge Shopping Center among among the other centers that are out there. Uh if I may, I'd like to uh do some brief questioning for the benefit of the board of both Mr. and Mrs. Patel, and certainly if the board has any questions, especially after that, they're welcome.

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