Our community faces another challenge to our vision of economic diversity and prosperity. We have many liquor stores, beauty shops, dollar stores, and auto-related businesses. Now, a developer wants to put in a liquor store in the closed Walgreens at Covington and Hairston, 5395 Covington Highway, Stone Mountain, Ga. We deserve a diversity of businesses that cater to a wider array of interests and necessities.
There are 22 liquor stores within five miles of this location, shown below. (Data from ESRI Business Analyst, May 2026)
Click here for a list that names each one, with addresses.
We received some pushback noting all of the places where one can buy alcohol in the five-mile zone – more than 130. Some people did not want us to include places that only sold beer and wine. So, look just at liquor stores – there are 22. Is that not enough?
Studies, such as one by the Georgia State University Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, show that communities with a high density of liquor stores often experience increased crime rates and suffer from lower residential property values. This is not the vision for our community we aspire to; we want a neighborhood that fosters safety, prosperity, and variety.
This isn’t a fight against existing businesses, but a plea for balance. We welcome many types of new businesses. In the spring, the community responded to a Planning Department survey and overwhelmingly asked for more cafes and restaurants (no fast food), high quality grocery stores, a variety of retail options, entertainment venues, and professional services. We encourage developers to consider the demand for higher-end businesses in our area. They could capture the dollars we spend in Decatur, Avondale Estates, Tucker, and north DeKalb.
If you agree that our community deserves better, sign this petition to say “No” to another liquor store and “Yes” to a more diverse and vibrant future. Together, we can influence the change we want to see.
Greater Hidden Hills 