On Sept. 14, the Campbell Planning Commission voted 5-2 to approve the application of Kahlon Enterprises, which owns Freddie's, for an expansion of its retail floor space and the establishment of a new deli. But the commission denied Kahlon's request to allow wine tasting.

"I'm not sure where else in the city you can buy hard liquor, beer and wine and actually have a place to drink it, too," said Campbell Planning Commissioner Bob Alderete.

Freddie's Liquors is a long-time Campbell business. Located at 1581 W. Campbell Ave., it recently expanded into the space previously occupied by the Campbell Baking Company.

The proposal allows Kahlon to increase Freddie's Liquors' floor space from 2,650 square feet to 4,878 square feet.

Most of the commissioners had a problem with the wine-tasting item on the request, particularly because customers would be able to buy and consume alcohol on the premises.

Commissioner George Doorley said he was concerned that the wine-tasting proposal hadn't been properly fleshed out.

Commissioner Elizabeth Gibbons suggested that the way to address the problem would be to limit the space allowed to the wine tasting to a 50-foot area of the store, but she received no support for the suggestion.

Nor was there support for Commissioner Bob Roseberry's suggestion that the commission approve the wine-tasting request but with a space allocation to be determined by the community development director.

Only when the wine-tasting item was struck from the proposal did the vote go forward. And even then, commissioners were divided.

Commissioner Bob Alderete said he was concerned that doubling the size of the business was tantamount to putting in a new liquor store in the area.

"The commission recently disapproved the establishment of a nearby liquor store because of concerns there would be concentration of places that sell alcohol in the area," he said, suggesting that this expansion would have the same effect.

In 2002, the Campbell Planning Commission denied the request to move McGoon's Grog Shop from the old Rolling Hills Shopping Center to 915 San Tomas Aquino Road.

Concerns of nearby residents about the store increasing traffic and attracting vagrants and causing an overconcentration of alcoholic establishments in the area were among the reasons both the planning commission and city council listed for denying the request.

Commissioner Michael Rocha agreed with Alderete that expanding the size of Freddie's was tantamount to adding another liquor store.

"I also share those concerns," he said. "More thought should be given to this. There's already a Longs Drugs and a Nob Hill in the area that sell liquor."

Other commissioners said they didn't see the issue in the same light.

"I don't see the similarities between Freddie's and McGoon's," Doorley said. "McGoon's would have been in a dark neighborhood," he said, making the point that Freddie's was in a brightly lit shopping center.

Commissioner Gibbons agreed: "It's difficult to judge current issues with past experiences," she said. "Freddie's Liquors has a much nicer setup and a much nicer presentation."

Roseberry said he had no problem with seeing a successful Campbell business expanding.

Alderete, however, said that "the [two] projects do have their differences, but [Freddie's] has its own set of problems."

Moreover, he said, because the store is located in a gateway portion of the city, he was concerned about "seeing more beer advertising and neon signs in the windows."

Alderete and Rocha were the only commissioners who voted against Kahlon's expansion request.