Local Licensing Issues

Needham mulls alcohol sales regulations, assuming certain ballot questions pass on Election Day, as reported by patch.com. Having alcohol available for sale in Needham would be a great thing for the town and its citizens.

The Needham Times reports that the alcohol question that asks if Needham should be able to grant permits for liquor stores won’t be appearing in this year’s main election ballot. But town officials still want to get the vote out by calling for a special town election on Nov. 6 (election day). At a Sept. […]

The Somerville Journal and wicked local report that the City of Somerville will obtain 10 additional liquor licenses, but control over where those licenses will be granted will remain with the state. The City seems pleased with the new licenses, but would have preferred to exercise full control over them.

The Mansfield Selectmen would like to keep a tighter leash on businesses licensed to sell liquor by requiring them to notify the board promptly of any change of management. I see this issue arise in my licensing practice quite a bit; managers come and go and the license holders must remember to inform the town/city, […]

The Dedham Selectmen are not pleased with the greatly reduced hours of one Dedham Square business, criticizing the owner for spending too much time at his Norwood store and not enough serving the good people of Dedham. The Board is hoping the owner will change his ways.

The Saugus Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to seek two additional all-alcoholic licenses for restaurants, but one board member called the decision “shortsighted” because it didn’t go far enough to raise much-needed revenue for the town. The Town of Brookline also recently decided to seek additional liquor licenses. Selectman Stephen Castinetti, who made the motion […]

The Brookline Patch.Com reports that town officials want to order another round of liquor licenses for Brookline. A warrant article the Board of Selectmen plans to file for Fall Town Meeting would petition the Mass. Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) for up to 11 additional liquor licenses. The Board discussed this proposed article at their […]

The Somerville Board of Aldermen has passed a resolution asking the Licensing Commission to hold a hearing to require that any changes in a business’ liquor license be posted on its window as a public notice. Alderman Connolly said he had recently been in California and noticed that the license commission there puts a large […]

The Pittsfield Licensing Board has lifted the three-month suspension of a city bar’s liquor license, provided the bar owner sells it, which could happen within the next 60 days. The board’s unanimous decision on Tuesday means Hermann Alexander’s will remain closed until owner Mitchell Grossjung successfully finds a buyer for the license, reports the Berkshire […]

Members of the Braintreee board of license commissioners were prepared to discuss changing Braintree’s law prohibiting the sale of beer or alcoholic beverages by the pitcher, but no one asked them to do so although representatives of several local restaurants were present during their July 24 meeting, boston.com reports. “If no one is inclined to […]

Interesting piece from the Berkshire Eagle on the promise to reform by a shuttered Pittsfield bar. The City has set a July 13 special hearing, and the bar has to appear before the state ABCC on July 31.

The Salem News reports that the Peabody Licensing Board has suspended the liquor license of the strip club, the Cabaret Lounge on Route 1 after the club was caught serving alcohol to minors in a May 23 police sting. “It’s unbelievable,” said Licensing Board Chairman Minas Dakos. “People are not being vigilant enough.” The Cabaret […]

Kudos to Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley for raising the issue of whether the city needs more liquor licenses. It’s a conversation worth exploring for sure. Patch.com does a nice job of explaining the issues. For example, why does Washington DC, with slightly fewer residents than Boston, have over 10 percent more active on-premises liquor […]

Informative piece on patch.com about Somerville’s home rule petition and quest to obtain additional liquor licenses for the City of Somerville, so that the city could grant licenses to more restaurants than present.

Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation allowing an extra liquor license for Natick so Tilly & Salvy’s Bacon Street Farm can sell beer and wine, as encouraged by Natick Town Meeting and the Board of Selectmen last fall, reports patch.com. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has signed legislation allowing Tilly & Salvy’s Bacon Street Farm to sell […]

The Boston Globe reports that more than 75 local restaurant owners and residents gathered in front of Waltham’s City Council Monday night to oppose adding 15 new liquor licenses to the town’s existing 100 licenses. They said the change could lead to unfair business advantages, depreciate the value of existing licenses, and change the character […]

Some news here about Brookline and the prospect of additional lincenses.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno is proposing a 1 a.m. closing time for all bars and clubs in the city, less than a month after a 1 a.m. curfew on entertainment in such establishments went into effect, as reported by the Springfield Republican. Sarno is asking the city License Commission to consider a new 1 a.m. […]

The Boston Globe reports that the town of Sharon may soon allow stores to sell hard liquor for the first time, if Town Meeting approves the measure. Under existing policy, restaurants can be licensed to serve all types of alcoholic beverages, but stores are limited to beer and wine. The article before Town Meeting calls […]

The Boston Globe reports that Foxborough selectmen approved an all-liquor license for a Trader Joe’s supermarket scheduled to open in Patriot Place later this year. The unanimous decision was made this week on the condition the company agrees not to sell alcohol during events at Gillette Stadium, that it won’t stock containers of alcoholic beverages […]

The Daily Hampshire Gazette reports that Easthampton’s Licensing Board has been inundated with requests for liquor licenses over the last seven months, a change that board clerk Karen Cadieux sees as a sign of an upswing in the service industry in Easthampton. “It’s been kind of crazy lately,” she said last week, a day after […]