The city of Janesville’s alcohol license advisory committee recommends that the city council deny Kwik Trip’s liquor license application for its proposed convenience store and gas station on North Wright Road.

The Janesville plan commission previously approved a conditional use permit for the site, but Kwik Trip real estate manager Dax Connelly said they won’t build the project without a license to sell alcohol.

The gas station chain does not plan to begin construction on this proposal until 2023, but the current property owner wants to close on the sale this year. The sale is contingent on Kwik Trip getting approval for its licenses and permits.

Under current city ordinance, an approved liquor license application is valid for 280 days. The permit holder can apply for up to three separate extensions of 90 days each before the application is expired and the license is lost.

That timeline would give Kwik Trip just under 18 months to build the gas station/convenience store, by November of 2022. If construction is not complete, the company would have to reapply for another license.

Connelly said his company is already scheduled to build at least 50 new stores in both 2021 and 2022, but he’s going to work with his team to see if they can move up the timeline for the Wright Road development.

The city council has the final say, regardless of the committee’s recommendation, when it votes on the liquor license at its next meeting on May 10.