Cheers! 225 New Liquor Licenses Coming to Boston – new bill passed by House + Senate.

Big news! On Tuesday, Massachusetts lawmakers announced that 225 new liquor licenses will be coming to 13 zip codes around the city!

A compromise bill (H 5039) filed by House and Senate negotiators Tuesday afternoon authorizes 225 new licenses, including 195 “restricted” licenses specifically marked for neighborhoods encompassed in 13 city ZIP codes. According to the lead conferees, five would be added to each ZIP code annually during a three-year phase-in period.

According to State House News, 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.”

The compromise legislation includes a total of 225 new licenses in the coming three years for the city, including:

• 12 new unrestricted licenses.
• 195 new restricted licenses for 13 Boston zip codes, distributed as five per year, per zip code, for three years. Of the five licenses, three would be for all alcohol sales, and two would be for sales of beer and wine.
• 15 community licenses for non-profits, small theaters, and outdoor spaces, for all alcohol sales.
• 3 for Oak Square in Brighton, for all alcohol sales.

“I’m proud to have worked with my colleagues in the House and Senate to add additional liquor licenses to underserved neighborhoods across Boston. These additional licenses will improve the sustainability of existing small businesses, create opportunities for new businesses, and create economic vibrancy on our main streets,” said Senator Nick Collins (D-South Boston), a member of the conference committee, who advocated strongly for the inclusion of the Lower Roxbury and South End communities in the legislation.

Having been passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, the legislation will now be sent to the Governor’s desk for her signature.

Last year, the Boston City Council unanimously passed a home rule petition which asked the state for approval to release 250 new liquor licenses over the next five years, restricting them to 10 ZIP codes that don’t already have many licenses. Most of these neighborhoods have a high population of people of color and are desperate for new economic development.