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Boston council hearing spotlights roll‑out of 225 new liquor licenses and strain on licensing office
Summary
The City of Boston has 225 new liquor licenses from the state to distribute over three years; the city’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing (MOCAL) said staff capacity is at its limit and asked the council for help while other city departments temporarily shifted resources.
The Boston City Council Committee on Ways and Means heard Tuesday that the city has been authorized to distribute 225 new liquor licenses over three years and that the Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing is stretched thin while processing applications and supporting neighborhood activation.
At a budget hearing April 29, Kathleen Joyce, executive director of the mayor’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing, told councilors the office has “developed a process that makes the distribution fair and balances equity, community needs, and economic growth,” and that the first round approved 37 licenses from 58 applications.
The new authorization, Joyce said, “is to be distributed over the next 3 years.” She described extensive outreach by MOCAL — webinars, multilingual materials, office hours,…
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