Lynn City Licensing Board approves transfer of off‑sale liquor license for El Camino market

The Lynn City Licensing Board voted to approve the transfer of an existing off‑sale alcohol beverage license to El Camino at a regular meeting.

Board members debated whether the transfer would effectively add a retail alcohol outlet in an area already served by multiple package stores and whether proximity to schools, churches and libraries made another full‑service liquor outlet inappropriate. Chairperson Patricia Barton said she favored allowing the transfer because it did not increase the city’s quota of licenses and because the applicant has been operating in Lynn since 2013: "I personally feel that the transfer should be allowed. This is not a normal license...we're not adding any more licenses to our homes. This is just taking 1 license from 1 liquor store and transferring it to a location."

Commissioner Miguel Bermas voiced support for the transfer as a matter of supporting a small business and for local economic growth: "I happen to agree with...helping this small business out, you know, it'll just give us a chance to grow as a city and at the same time, just keep, follow the rules of the relations."

An attorney representing the applicant (identified in the meeting as Eric) said the transfer is within the city quota, presented a neighborhood petition in favor signed by more than 50 residents, and urged the board to defer to the marketplace rather than restrict the transfer. He argued that longtime operators and nearby package stores had not reported neighborhood problems and that the store had experienced customer support in the petition: "They understand that the marketplace determines who's successful in business, not the government. The government has a role regulating, but this is a license that is based on the quota, based on the population."

Commissioner Felt opposed granting the transfer, citing the concentration of liquor stores in the area and the presence of schools, churches and libraries near the proposed location. Felt said the board's earlier denial rested on those findings and that nothing in the record had changed to alter that conclusion.

After discussion, the board moved to approve the transfer. Roll‑call responses recorded in the transcript show Chairperson Patricia Barton voted yes, Commissioner Funes voted yes and Commissioner Felt voted no. The board announced approval and wished the applicant luck.

The transfer was an administrative licensing action; the record at the meeting included petitions and neighborhood signatures presented by the applicant’s representative.