Neighbors who are waiting for Eddie’s of Mount Vernon grocery store to reopen are going to have to wait a little longer.Attorney Stephan Fogleman told Baltimore’s liquor board on Thursday that a new operator has encountered funding and construction delays and is behind schedule on reopening the store at 7 to 11 W. Eager St. – a much-anticipated event that was originally targeted for last summer.He asked that the three-member panel approve a request from his client, Kabita D. Mahat of Gaurika LLC, to grant a 90-day “hardship extension” to transfer a “Class A” Beer, Wine and Liquor license that was approved on March 21, 2024.The liquor board’s approval stipulated that the transfer take place within 180 days, which put the deadline at September 18. In seeking a transfer extension on behalf of his client, Fogelman blamed the state of Maryland for being slow in sending money that was granted last spring. He also said the operator has experienced construction delays and had to change contractors.“They applied for a grant from the state, the state trying to encourage grocery stores in communities,” Fogleman said. “Apparently, I guess this was the first time getting a grant approved because the money takes longer than one might think if you were a first-timer. Nevertheless, they have had construction delays, a change of contractor, and then the delay in getting the approval and reimbursement from the state under this grant.”Eddie’s has been closed since June 30, 2023, when previous store owner Dennis Zorn ceased operations after running it since 2000. The property, owned by 13 West Eager LLC, has housed a grocery store since 1939. The closing left Mount Vernon residents without a full-service food market in their community, and a search was launched for a new operator. Last February, The Baltimore Sun ran a front-page article by Amanda Yeager detailing plans by the new operator to renovate the 5,000-square-foot space and reopen it for continued use as a grocery store.Eddie’s of Mount Vernon is one of the few grocery stores in Baltimore that has a “Class A” license that allows it to sell beer, wine and liquor for off-premises consumption, and the new operator applied to transfer that license to sell alcoholic beverages when the store reopens.When the new operator was announced, community leaders said they were optimistic that the store might be ready by July 1 or shortly afterwards, but months have now gone by without an opening. Fogleman’s appearance at the liquor board shed light on some of the reasons for the delay.In a Sept. 4 letter to the liquor board requesting a transfer extension, Fogleman did not discuss the funding or construction delays, saying only that “the applicant needs more time to finish inspections.”At the hearing on Thursday, Fogleman gave no projection for when the store might reopen, and the commissioners didn’t ask. They nevertheless approved his request for the hardship extension, which gives Gaurika until Dec. 17 to finish renovations and complete the transfer.