Select Board tables Essex Tech’s Larkin Event Center liquor and entertainment license applications after extensive neighborhood concerns

Select Board members on May 8 opened a public hearing on a request from Larkin Event Center LLC, the entity operating the new Larkin Event Center at Essex Agricultural & Technical School, for a full all‑alcohol common victualler (liquor) license and a seven‑day entertainment license and then voted to table both matters to the board’s June 3 meeting.

The hearing drew lengthy public comment from abutters and Select Board members with concerns about proximity to an active high school campus, parking and traffic flow, control and storage of alcohol on school property, the role of outside caterers and bartenders, and the adequacy of materials submitted with the application.

Why it matters: The Larkin Event Center is a new multiuse hospitality training and event space built by students at Essex Tech. The school and its partners are asking for a standing liquor license to avoid repeatedly filing one‑day license requests for recurring events; neighbors and some board members said the use could become a frequent commercial venue with outsized impacts on a residential area.

Missing application items and regulatory question: Select Board members and the town clerk pointed to at least three items the board’s regulations require that were not clearly provided in the packet: a complete seating/floor plan showing internal layouts and potential build‑outs, a written policy describing how the licensee will verify patrons’ ages and monitor service, and a copy of the insurance certificate with the Larkin listed as certificate holder. Several speakers also cited Chapter 138 of the General Laws and asked whether state distance rules that restrict service near schools applied; town staff said the statute language is complex but that the school, because it is the license applicant (and the Larkin is organized as a distinct LLC/DBA), had sought legal guidance and the matter could proceed with local review and ABCC oversight.

School officials’ response: Bonnie Carr, director of workforce development at Essex Tech, described the center as a hospitality training site where students gain industry experience and said the school has previously used one‑day licenses without incident. Carr told the board, “Our students will not be serving alcohol. Their focus will remain on their culinary responsibilities,” and added that students working events are ServSafe/TIP certified and that certified outside bartenders would be used for alcohol service.

Ryan Monks, facilities director at Essex Tech, said the Larkin is run as a separate LLC for operations and that the school intends the space to be available for community rentals as well as school events. Monks said the building has secure storage, cameras and card readers and that the school maintains onsite security and would hire additional security for weekend events. He said the school would contract experienced caterers (Vinwood Catering was referenced by the applicants) and certified bartenders for events.

Neighbors’ concerns: Dozens of residents urged the board to delay any approval, describing longstanding neighborhood problems — heavy event and student parking spilling onto small streets, unplowed sidewalks, bright exterior lights, and traffic flow that they say has at times impeded emergency access. Several abutters said they had not been consulted in advance and asked for a community open house to view the space and discuss traffic/parking plans before the board acted. One neighbor said the school had threatened a resident with trespass in a past interaction; board members flagged that exchange as a public‑relations and neighbor‑relations problem the school should address.

Control, operations and commercial questions: Board members pressed whether the LLC operating the Larkin is a nonprofit and who would actually hold the license and control alcohol stock for rental events. Speakers pointed to inconsistencies in the public record the night of the hearing (statements referring to the school, to an LLC/DBA, and to third‑party caterers), and Select Board members asked for clarified documentation about the LLC’s organization, the proposed licensee name, and the intended vendor/catering arrangements.

Action taken: After extended public comment and board discussion the Select Board voted unanimously to close the public hearing and table both the liquor license and the entertainment license to a date‑specific continuance: June 3, 2025. The board asked applicants to return with the missing documents (complete floor/seating plan, written age‑verification and service policy, insurance certificate), a detailed parking and traffic plan (including event ingress/egress and staffing/flaggers), clearer corporate paperwork identifying the licensee entity and its nonprofit/for‑profit status, and a plan for neighborhood outreach (an open house).

What’s next: Applicants and school officials told the board they would gather answers and work with town staff. The board explicitly requested a parking map and traffic‑flow plan and said it expected the applicant to meet neighbors before the June 3 meeting. The June 3 agenda will include both the liquor license and the entertainment license items for renewed consideration.