Commission debates reissuing unused all‑alcohol license tied to Calvin/Bowery project; plans outreach before vote

Commissioners spent the longest portion of the May 20 meeting discussing an unused all‑alcohol license that had been reserved in expectation of a reopening of the Calvin/’the Bowery’ project. The group expressed concern the prospective reopening has stalled and debated whether to reissue the city’s available license.

Licensing staff and commissioners said they had not seen recent substantive progress. Commissioner Amy Cahillane and others said the commission should not wait indefinitely while the license sits unused; representative Subrosa had expressed interest and other parties have inquired. Staff reported that past outreach to the property owner, Eric, had produced little concrete movement, although a department head had reached him by phone most recently.

Commissioners did not vote to reissue the license at the meeting. Instead they agreed to one more round of direct outreach before final action: staff will notify the Bowery’s representatives and the property owner that the commission plans to discuss reissuing the license at an upcoming meeting and request a status update. Commissioners additionally asked staff to request that the mayor or his office reach out to the property owner to underscore the city’s interest in the project and the timeline for the commission’s decision.

Commissioners said they trust state legislative channels (Representative Sabadosa) can pursue additional special‑act licenses if needed in the future but want clarity on the Bowery’s timeframe before reclaiming the local license. The commission signaled a willingness to reissue the license if the property owner cannot show progress but wanted a formal update and a mayoral check‑in first.