September 3, 2024
Lawmakers appear ready to close the tab on a heady expansion of available alcohol licenses in Boston, with House and Senate negotiators filing a compromise Tuesday afternoon.
The 225 new licenses contained in the deal include 195 "restricted" licenses specifically marked for the capital city's 13 ZIP codes. Five would be added to each ZIP code annually during a three-year phase-in period, according to the lead conferees.
The agreement also adds 12 unrestricted licenses to the city's supply, three specifically for Oak Square in Brighton, and 15 "community licenses" for nonprofits, small theaters, and outdoor spaces.
In a joint statement, Senate President Pro Tempore Will Brownsberger of Belmont and House Majority Leader Michael Moran of Brighton said they see the bill "dramatically expanding equity for restaurant owners in neighborhoods across the city, and increasing economic opportunity in communities of color that have been left out for too long."
The House bill (H 4696) had called for 205 new licenses, while the Senate's version (S 2903) would have authorized 260.
The branches were "very close, if not done" with the negotiations when they concluded formal sessions on the morning of Aug. 1, Moran said at the time.
The conference report (H 5039) was filed shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday in the House clerk's office. Moran and Brownsberger said that the goal is to send it to Gov. Maura Healey "by the end of the week."
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