Worcester Business Journal

4 Worcester Business Journal | November 21, 2016 | wbjournal.com C E N T R A L M AS S I N B R I E F Westborough liquor spree T he town of Westborough will receive 22 additional liquor licenses in the next three years in an effort by town officials to bring more restaurants into the commu- nity with a special focus on the down- town area. According to Francisco Torres, eco- nomic development coordinator for Westborough, this will make the town more competitive when it comes to attracting restaurants that can anchor and bring new life to different areas of the community. However, the Massachusetts Restaurant Association's Director of Government Affairs Steve Clark warns this reliance on restaurants as an eco- nomic driver could eventually catch up with developers, restaurateurs and com- munities in Massachusetts. 22… that's a lot, right? Certainly. But towns and cities across the state have been straining against the restraints of the number of liquor licenses for years. In Westborough, the town could not easily get any more liquor licenses as it had met its popula- tion quota and existing liquor licenses are married to their location. So, offi- cials decided to seek out new licenses through legislative action. What they received are 22 additional liquor licenses for the community. These licenses will be for on-premises consumption only (read: restaurants and bars) and will be phased in with eight new licenses in 2017, eight in 2018 and six in 2019. And although they were obtained through a different means, the application process will be identical to that for any other liquor license. So Westborough wants a lot of new restaurants? Not only a lot of new restaurants, but restaurants in the downtown area. Town officials are hoping these liquor BY SAM BONACCI Worcester Business Journal Digital Editor V E R B A T I M Hockey commitment "Partnering with Worcester State epitomizes our commitment that this is truly a Worcester community resource – built for the residents and student- athletes of Worcester." Worcester Sports Center's managing partner Cliff Rucker, on Worcester State University signing on as an anchor tenant at the two rink hockey facility being built in the Canal District Speedy weed "By the time we took office we hadn't opened a single dispensary in Massachusetts, and we were two years behind the effective date of that law. I think it's important that we move as briskly as we can and we take a look at everything." Gov. Charlie Baker, on implementing the new recreational marijuana law faster than the medical marijuana law Private-public partnership "The Apex Center is an exciting development that will bring new restaurants, hotels and entertainment to Marlborough … The project will not only be great for our residents, but it will also help attract new employers." Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant, on the planned $160-million mixed use development with two hotels in the city that has received $3 million in state grants for roadway improvements licenses will be the carrot that leads restaurants there. "We have a ton of residents in mixed- use housing, and we would hope we can bring that dining to downtown resi- dents," said Torres. Until now, there has been a bit of dif- ficulty getting restaurants downtown, he said, with people wanting them in the area but developers and restaura- teurs unsure of whether there are enough residents to support them. That isn't to say that the town would limit these to the downtown area, just that this is an area that the town is especially eager to get restaurants into, Torres said. There are enough licenses that some will go to other develop- ments, he said, explaining that foremost this was about ensuring there was no holdup with new developers. "When you have a developer who is ready to go and this is the only thing that is in the way, we want to make sure the town is being proactive about it," Torres said. There must be a catch, right? There isn't an immediate one, but down the line there could be a problem with over-saturation of restaurants. Clark said Westborough is not the only community in Massachusetts get- ting new liquor licenses. With a surge in new establishments, this could quickly become a double-edged sword. While these additional licenses can be good for restaurants, communities and the developments that use restau- rants as anchor tenants as more retail goes online, there is a concern about over-saturating the market. "Eventually we are going to reach a point where we are competing against ourselves," Clark said, admitting so far it does not seem to have impacted res- taurants' business. This competition will not just be for customers, but service workers who can choose their location of choice due to the state's low unemployment and strong demand for restaurants. This competition is not something that Torres sees as a concern for the the town, which has been limited in the past by being at its population-deter- mined limit for liquor licenses. Ultimately, he said, this is about giving the town an edge and making it a little easier to attract new eateries. Co-founder Jack Hendler pours a beer at the Jack's Abby location in Framingham. Nearby Westborough has just received approval for 22 new liquor licenses town officials hope to use to draw restaurants downtown. W P H O T O / W B J F I L E

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