Worcester Board of Health denies hookah-bar permit waiver for Nomesco

The Worcester Board of Health voted 3-2 on a motion to deny a waiver that would have allowed Nomesco to operate as a smoking bar at its current downtown location, preserving the 500‑foot buffer and other October 2023 tobacco permit rules.

The vote came after a staff presentation and testimony from public‑health experts and business owners. Gary Rosen moved to grant the waiver; Michael Perrado seconded. The motion failed, with Rosen and Perrado voting yes and Chair Friend, Charisse Allen, Leon Negron Cruz and Francis Anthes voting no (final tally: 2 yes, 3 no). The board left the city’s October 2023 tobacco product sales permit restrictions in place.

The vote settled a debate between public‑health officials who warned that concentrated tobacco retailing and smoking bars increase exposure and normalize use, and business owners and employees who said denying the waiver would cost jobs and close a long‑standing downtown business.

Staff presentation and public‑health evidence Kyle (public health staff) and Amy (public health staff) summarized the board’s October 2023 tobacco permit rules and early outcomes. They reported that the city had 234 active tobacco sales permits at the time the regulation passed; as of the presentation there were 222 — a 5% decline in roughly 22 months. The staff slides said 28 permits have lapsed, been revoked, or been denied since implementation and that about 12 retail locations could no longer sell at their present…