Rep Donato Will Push for Liquor License Increase

Will Help Medford Obtain State Approval for More Beer, Wine Licenses

– Allison Goldsberry

Medford wants to increase its beer and wine licenses from fifteen to twenty-five, and the state says “not so fast.”

Though the City Council approved an increase in beer and wine licenses last spring, the state put the brakes on the plan because of resistance of representatives from large cities such as Boston and Worcester, according to State Representative Paul Donato.

Rep. Donato, who stopped by the City Council meeting Tuesday night, said liquor licenses in those communities often sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars because they are transferrable. Beer and wine licenses and liquor licenses are not transferrable in Medford and many other communities, and state representatives from Boston and other large cities are concerned with how those communities grant their licenses, so as not to “diminish the value” of their own.

According to Rep. Donato, the state is now requiring that an increase in liquor licenses be tied into a community’s economic development. Given that new rule, Medford is hoping to obtain state approval for the ten additional beer and wine licenses by spreading them out evenly in five of the city’s largest commercial areas- West Medford, Medford Square, the Hillside, South Medford, and Wellington.

City Solicitor Mark Rumley said the city took care to make each area large enough to encompass all of the city’s commercial districts- for example, Salem Street businesses are included in the Medford Square area. Rumley also said other areas could be easily tacked on if necessary.

Rep. Donato said he would make it a top priority over the next few weeks to help Medford obtain state approval for the additional licenses.

“I will do everything I can to make sure it’s done a few short weeks,” said Rep. Donato.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce is looking into changing the seating requirement for a full liquor license in an attempt to attract more restaurants to the city, particularly Medford Square.

Currently, a restaurant must have a seating capacity of ninety-nine to obtain a full liquor license, while nineteen seats are needed for a beer and wine license.

Though the amount of beer and wine licenses and full liquor licenses that Medford has is subject to state approval, it’s up to the city to dole out the licenses, which are non-transferrable. That job belongs to the three-member License Commission, which meets every month.