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Licensing decisions: Pawtucket approves multiple event licenses, denies one over neighborhood noise concerns
Summary
The Pawtucket Board of License Commissioners and City Council considered and acted on several entertainment and day-of-event license petitions. Most petitions were approved; one festival application was denied after neighborhood noise concerns and a district councilor's objection.
The Pawtucket Board of License Commissioners and the City Council took up a series of entertainment and one-day premise-expansion petitions and issued approvals, a denial and postponements.
Decisions taken by the licensing board and council (summary): - Little Sisters of the Poor (964 Main St.): Approved — license to sell beer and wine at a garden party / fundraising event on Aug. 13, 2025, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (license number noted in packet). Councilors said the event has run in prior years without problems.
- Burbage Theater Company (59 Blackstone Ave.): Approved — entertainment class F-1 (amateur drag pageant) and sale of alcoholic beverages on June 7, 2025, from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Councilor Moran reviewed the petition and moved approval.
- Aloha Restaurant Lounge (Festival Pier / Tim Healy Way): Denied — petition to host a "Heritage Color Festival" with alcohol on Sunday, June 15, 2025, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. A district councilor raised constituent concerns about loud music and noise after 7 p.m.; the council voted to deny the petition after discussion.
- YB Marketing (Latino Summerfest, Festival Pier): Postponed — moved to the next meeting at the request of the district councilor (petition for Aug. 2, 2025).
- Figos de Jaraba (Saint Anthony's Fest, 682 Roosevelt Ave.): Approved with stipulations — one-day expansion on Sunday, June 15, 2025, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Motion to approve included two stipulations: (1) all beverages outdoors must be served in plastic (no glass) and (2) the area must be cleaned up by 10 a.m. the following day (transcript clarified timeframe).
- Pico's Restaurant and Hookah Lounge (110 School St.): Approved — one-day expansion and sale of alcohol for a spring cookout on June 8, 2025, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Councilors indicated prior events had proceeded without incident.
- Larry's Auto Repair (519 Pawtucket Ave., license AUT-24-75): Renewal postponed — the council removed the renewal from the consent agenda and postponed action to the June 4 meeting and asked the license holder to appear after complaints that the license holder was violating a condition limiting parked vehicles to a tow truck; councilors said observers counted over a dozen vehicles on the lot.
Votes and procedure notes from the meeting record: - Where roll calls were recorded the transcript shows unanimous or voice approval for most routine entertainment licenses; the denial of the Aloha Restaurant Lounge petition was recorded as a voice vote after a motion to deny was made by the district councilor and seconded and the chair called for the vote. - The St. Anthony Fest approval included explicit stipulations that were made part of the motion and voted on by the council.
Why it matters: - Licensing decisions affect neighborhood noise, public safety, and local business activity; the council applied event-specific conditions to limit neighborhood impacts (such as requiring plastic cups and post-event cleanup).
What comes next: - The license renewal for Larry's Auto Repair was postponed to June 4; the owner is required to attend and address the council about alleged violations of license conditions.
