Bill > H4184

This bill, concerning the sale of alcoholic beverages in Somerville, Massachusetts, primarily amends existing laws to allow for the issuance of additional liquor licenses. Specifically, it permits the Somerville licensing commission to grant a total of 31 new licenses for the sale of all alcoholic beverages and 13 new licenses for wine and malt beverages to be consumed on the premises, with certain restrictions. Some of these new licenses are designated for specific "Transformative Areas" (Inner Belt, Brickbottom, and Boynton Yards) and "Enhancement Areas" (various neighborhoods like Union Square, Davis Square, and Ball Square), and these particular licenses cannot be sold or transferred to other locations or outside these designated zones, though they can be reissued to new applicants within the same areas under certain conditions. Other new licenses are not geographically restricted but also cannot be transferred to different locations, though they can be reissued at the same location to a new applicant if tax and fee obligations are met. The bill also adjusts the effective dates for certain provisions, with some taking effect immediately upon passage and others on January 1, 2019, or upon the issuance of licenses.