The City of Boston will be awarding 225 new liquor licenses over the next three years, a program intended to help businesses and neighborhoods that have previously been passed over or priced out of the process.
Historically, there’s been a cap on liquor licenses in the city, and securing one involves the often pricey process of purchasing it from the existing holder. Adding these additional licenses required approval from state lawmakers.
“We thank our partners at the state and local levels who have pushed to advance this legislation and work continuously to ensure growth for our neighborhoods. The City will be intentional to ensure these liquor licenses represent economic opportunities for our restaurants and entrepreneurs,” Mayor Michelle Wu wrote in a media statement Wednesday.
This new set of licenses will be issued directly through the City Licensing Board and are broken down into three categories: neighborhood non-transferable licenses (198 available), community space non-transferable licenses (15 available), and citywide transferable licenses (12 available), according to the …