City attorney flags possible liquor license issues for Trinidad restaurant plan

Les Downs told the Trinidad City Council that the liquor license transfer for RMJ LLC, which is operating as Savor the Flavor at 900 W. Adams St., could raise concerns at the former Sunset Bar & Grille site. The issue came up at City Hall, 135 N. Animas Street, as council members reviewed an ownership transfer for a Hotel & Restaurant liquor license and a separate temporary permit application tied to the same address.

The council agenda for April 21 listed the transfer of ownership and set a public hearing for 6 p.m. on May 5. Under Trinidad’s municipal code, liquor applications must be filed with the city clerk and include documents showing ownership interests, possession of the premises, proposed premises details and moral character. The code also says no license may be transferred from one person or one place to another except as allowed by state law or city code and then only through written application to the city clerk. The local licensing authority is required to schedule a public hearing at least 30 days after receipt of an application, except in renewals or transfers of ownership.

Colorado’s Liquor Enforcement Division adds another layer. The state says liquor licensing is dual-authority, meaning retail applicants must first win local government approval. For new applicants, that typically means showing neighborhood needs and desires and clearing a local background investigation before the state process moves ahead.

The 900 W. Adams St. property has a recent liquor-license history of its own. A city record from Aug. 18, 2020 shows BJ&Y Restaurant, Inc. applied for a new Hotel & Restaurant license there, and the Sunset Bar and Grill trade name was registered with the Colorado Secretary of State effective Jan. 4, 2021. Third-party property listings identify the address as the Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Trinidad, a 57-room hotel built in 1965 and purchased by the current ownership group in 2019.

For Trinidad diners and downtown businesses, the immediate question is not whether the property can become a restaurant, but how quickly it can reopen with alcohol service in place. If the city’s review finds a problem with the transfer, RMJ LLC could be forced to wait until the matter is resolved before serving drinks or fully launching the concept. The May 5 hearing is the next checkpoint, and the answer there will shape whether one of Trinidad’s most visible commercial addresses turns back into an operating restaurant soon or remains in limbo a little longer.