| Chelmsford, a town of 32,000 people just south of the New Hampshire border, wants to rejuvenate a business corridor and the Legislature appears poised to help out by granting 10 additional liquor licenses.
Decisions by Kronos Inc. and Mercury Systems to move out of town, to Lowell and Andover, spurred rezoning of the area, according to Chelmsford Town Manager Paul Cohen, who said that with new zoning in place, residential developments and amenities can join the office parks along the corridor.
“Those were the town’s two largest employers,” Cohen said.
On Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill that would grant the town an additional 10 on-premises liquor licenses. The House has already passed the bill, which would need additional votes in both branches and Gov. Charlie Baker’s signature to become law.
“Hopefully we’ll get it to the governor’s desk sooner rather than later,” Rep. Tom Golden, a Lowell Democrat, told the News Service. Golden sponsored the bill (H 3880) that he said is part of Chelmsford’s effort to “reinvent” the corridor. He said, “They’re expecting big things from this in the future.”
Chelmsford Town Meeting gave the proposal “pretty overwhelming” support and the Board of Selectmen unanimously supported it, according to Pat Wojtas, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen.
Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, who oversees the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, convened a group of officials earlier this year to consider making changes to how the state regulates alcohol. The task force issued a preliminary report in August and Goldberg’s office hopes to receive final recommendations by the end of the year.
State law permits Chelmsford to license 35 restaurants for all alcoholic beverages and seven for beer and wine service, according to Kristina Bruce, support services coordinator for Chelmsford. Bruce said there are two liquor licenses still available for restaurants.
Moving to increase the liquor licenses available in town was a “proactive” step so that officials can be ready if a restaurateur wants to open up shop in town, Cohen said.
“They’re not going to wait and say, get back to me in four months,” Cohen said.
Beacon Hill lawmakers have resisted efforts to let cities and towns decide how many alcohol licenses to issue, opting instead over the years to pass bills – or hold them up – dealing with licenses for particular communities.
