INDIANAPOLIS | Eight new liquor licenses will have to be enough to anchor upscale retail developments planned for Schererville's north side.

The House Public Policy Committee voted 9-1 Wednesday for a plan that cuts by two the town's original request for 10 new alcohol permits. The licenses now are included in Senate Bill 339, a broader alcohol measure headed to the full House.

Schererville faired better than Carmel. The northern suburb of Indianapolis saw its original request for 10 new licenses cut in half.

Portage followed the same script last year, asking for 10 permits to bolster economic development and ultimately settling for half that.

State Rep. Dan Stevenson, D-Highland, said eight new liquor licenses should be plenty.

The permits would be split between a pair of malls planned for the north side of town, near U.S. 41. Developers say they need the liquor licenses to attract fine dining outlets to provide a foundation for the "lifestyle centers."

Some Schererville restaurateurs have opposed the special permits, complaining that they paid upward of $200,000 to barter their licenses away from previous owners. The state typically awards new liquor licenses to communities only every 10 years based on a population-growth formula of one per 1,500 new residents.

In an attempt to ease those complaints, Stevenson increased the minimum bid price for the Schererville licenses from $1,350 to $35,000 and added a provision stipulating the eight new licenses will count against any new permits the town is awarded after the 2010 census.