Narragansett Council Renews Boone Street Market Liquor License With Music and Noise Conditions
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Summary
After a packed public hearing where neighbors documented noise, lights and arrests and the owner presented a mitigation plan, the Town Council renewed Boone Street Market’s liquor license 5-0 with conditions that outdoor live music stop at 9 p.m., all outdoor music end at 11 p.m., and the council will review progress in four months.
The Town of Narragansett on Dec. 2 renewed the alcoholic beverage license for Gansett Rail LLC, doing business as Boone Street Market (145 Boone Street), but attached conditions intended to limit late‑night disruption in the surrounding neighborhood. The council voted 5-0 to keep the current 1 a.m. service hour in place while requiring that live outdoor music stop at 9 p.m. and that all outdoor music cease at 11 p.m.; the council said it will revisit the license in four months to assess whether the owner has implemented promised mitigation measures.
The decision followed more than two hours of public testimony in which neighbors described routine late-night noise, heavy holiday‑style decorative lighting, overflowing trash, fights outside the venue and incidents involving underage or impaired patrons. "On November 16, my life was changed forever," said Sean Lloyd, who told the council he observed a horrific crash and said he had been served alcohol at Boone Street Market without being asked for ID. An attorney representing about 18 nearby property owners presented decibel readings from Oct. 3–Nov. 14 showing multiple readings at or above residential limits and urged the council to use the town's licensing and public‑nuisance powers to require restrictions.
Owners and staff defended the operation. "We take multiple IDs throughout the entire week," said Eric Knott, a manager at Boone Street Market, adding the business has TIP‑certified bartenders, security staff with prior law‑enforcement experience, food service through midnight and procedures for de‑escalation. Owner Lindsay Ann Holmes laid out an action plan the business has begun implementing: perimeter decibel monitors (NoiseAware) at property lines, repositioned speakers, removal of subwoofers, increased landscaping as a sound buffer, added trash pickup and paid police details on high‑volume nights. Holmes said custom sound‑dampening panels were in production and could be installed within weeks and that a pergola enclosure (pending structural review and permits) would follow in mid‑January if approved.
Holmes asked the council for time to implement those changes. "I beg of you some patience and not to overreact to a minority," she said, adding that she was investing in expensive mitigation ("This pergola is gonna cost me a half a million dollars") to reduce sound and improve operations. Neighbors countered that voluntary measures have not yet eliminated repeated late‑night incidents and asked the council to use enforceable license conditions.
Council members pressed the owner for timelines and details about the sound panels, the proposed pergola, the hours of cleanup crews and options for managed ride‑share pick‑up. In proposing the council’s compromise, Council President Jim Tierney framed it as an interim set of restrictions intended to preserve the business while protecting nearby residents: maintain the 1 a.m. license for now, require live outdoor music to stop at 9 p.m., require all outdoor music to stop at 11 p.m., and schedule a formal review in four months. The council approved that motion 5-0.
The council also left the broader zoning/public‑use ordinance matter tied to mixed‑use business zones open and scheduled a related hearing continuation for Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
What happens next: Boone Street Market remains licensed to serve alcohol until 1 a.m. while implementing its mitigation plan. The council will review compliance and results of planned sound‑dampening installations and other measures at a follow‑up meeting in approximately four months.
