Liquor board approves Pusser’s Landing transfer with strict MOU limits on outdoor speakers and hours

The Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City on June 26 approved an amended application to transfer a Class B beer, wine and liquor license for Pusser’s Landing, 2711 Boston Street, subject to terms in a memorandum of understanding with the Canton Community Association.

The MOU, presented by counsel, restricts the use of outdoor speakers on the western side of the floating dock, sets outdoor closing times at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, sets an indoor closing time of midnight seven days a week, and states the operator will not seek approval for live entertainment at this time.

Joe Woolman, attorney with Silverman Thompson representing the applicant, outlined the transfer and said the premises — also known as Lighthouse Point on the Canton waterfront — will continue outdoor table service and seek delivery of alcoholic beverages. "She pledges to abide by them," Woolman said, referring to the board rules and the MOU. He added that the transfer application was filed Jan. 24, 2025, and that corporate documents and the MOU were provided to the board for the record.

Woolman told commissioners the applicant, Grace Jacobson, is a Baltimore resident and an owner-operator who will bring the historic Pusser’s brand from Annapolis to the site. He said the team conducted an outreach campaign including multiple on-site meetings and demonstrations of the outdoor speaker setup and that the parties negotiated “significant concessions” to address neighbors’ concerns about the floating dock and hours.

Applicant representatives said the operation expects to bring approximately 25–30 staff from the Annapolis location and hire additional employees locally; counsel said the overall staff complement at the venue will be around 100. Commissioners asked a brief series of operational questions, including staffing and TIP (training for intervention) certification, which counsel confirmed would be in place.

On the basis of the submitted application materials, the proffer by counsel, the memorandum of understanding and letters of support from neighborhood organizations, the chair voted to approve the amended application. Two commissioners concurring also voted to approve; the decision was recorded as an approval subject to the MOU "to the extent those terms are enforceable by law." The board noted the MOU had been executed with the Canton Community Association and that the agreement is part of the record.

The approval allows continued outdoor table service and delivery of alcoholic beverages under the conditions in the MOU. The board’s action does not itself expand permission for live entertainment, which the applicant agreed not to pursue at this time.