##VIDEO ID:hZlGAqqV_-E## good morning thank you all for joining we'll give just a moment to clear the waiting room and make sure that folks have connected to audio as a reminder when you are entering from the waiting room please do remain on mute unless or until uh you are speaking before the board if just another moment as folks are still uh entering from the waiting room good morning this is a hearing before the licensing board for the city of Boston today is Wednesday October 30th 2024 today's hearing is being held pursu two temporary amendments to the open meeting law that is what allows us to meet virtually today's hearing is being recorded and will be posted to the city of Boston's website before I review procedural matters I will introduce chairwoman of the board Kathleen Joyce thank you Danny excuse me good morning my name is Kathleen Joyce I'm chair of the Boston licensing board and today I'm joined by commissioner Liam curan and commissioner Kiana Saxon thank you please ensure that your audio and visuals are working properly will call each item in the order that it appears on this morning's agenda I will then ask who is present on behalf of the applicant you'll make a brief presentation regarding your proposal followed by questions by the chair and Commissioners following questions there will be an opportunity for Testimony beginning with elected officials or their representatives for members of the general public wishing to testify please limit your testimony to two minutes and please state your name address and affiliation if any if you are wishing to provide testimony please do use the rais hand function and I will call on you in the order that I see you uh your raised hand appear we'll begin with the first item on this morning's agenda calling item number one Berkeley College of Music Inc doing business as Melo located at 699 Boon Street has applied for a common VI license to be exercised on the above 600 square foot one room street level takeout smoothie counter with no seating basement storage no bathroom and grab andgo products only manager Sean Sturgis hours of operation 7:00 am. to 8:00 pm who's present on behalf of the applicant hey Janny this is Caitlin pfoh chief of staff at Berkeley College of Music and Sean want to introduce yourself Sean sturis I'm the director of dining services at Berkeley College of Music great thank you both if you could please just briefly present the proposed Concepts to the board sure um so back uh earlier this year Berkeley signed a uh 15-year lease at 699 Boon Street for approximately 10,000 square feet of space which contained approximately 8,300 Square F feet on the lower level um and approximately th000 Square ft um on the ground floor level of $699 um this past September we opened the ground floor as a dance studio went through the zoning process to do that um and with the intention of opening the first floor thousand, square feet space um as a cafe open to the public grab and go smoothies um which is consistent with the previous use which was the tb12 gym um so very similar concept um so I will turn it over to Sean just to talk through a little a little bit about the actual concept yep um working within a limited space and no kitchen facilities or cooking facilities we tried to come up with a concept to support our students first off uh who will be using the dance studios below um as classrooms and practice space um where we came up with the smoothie and an oie concept that did not need much uh cooking equipment or storage capacity um because of its unique location on Boon Street and also having all the offices up above um we're going to try to offset some of those costs um with grab and go products pre-made salads sandwiches uh and quick grab Ando snacks uh for students and the public um but mostly we'll be we trying to Market and sell the assai bows uh and smoothies great thank you for that explanation and the hours will be 7: am to 8: PM correct seven days a week days thank you both very much I have no questions commissioner Kar and commissioner Saxon no questions for me thank you no questions for me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes madame chair members of the board Connor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's office like to defer to the Judgment of this board as you heard from the applicant previously they had gone through a zoning board of appeals process uh which involved an AB Butter's meeting from on as well as them being in contact uh with the local civic association our office is unaware of any concerns at this time and they were approved by the zoning board thank you good morning Madam chair and members of the board U my name is Anthony I work for District 8 councelor Sharon Durkin um and she just wanted me to go on record and support of uh the proposal thank you thank you very much are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter the board will take this under advisement thank you very much oh sorry do see a hand raised um from councelor Santana's office is that on item number one oh sorry you're currently on mute sorry about that and having technical difficulties this morning no worries um good morning everyone uh my name is indis Johnson and I am here on behalf of uh counselor Santana good morning Madam of the chair members of the board um I would like to go on record as um opposition to this proposal for the counselor this is on item number one Berkeley College of Music oh my gosh I'm so sorry I justed Ed in I thought we were there sorry about that okay no worries thank you very much there any other individuals who would like to provide testimony on item number one great and the board will take this under advisement thank you thank you calling item number two blank Street Coffee 120 Causeway Street Boston LLC located at 120 Causeway Street has applied for a common Victor license to be exercised on the above 828 square foot first floor Cafe combined with tenant buildout in an existing shell Space featuring 17 customer seats and two employee seats manager Derek Craig hours of operation 7:00 a.m. to 7: PM who's present on behalf of the applicant I am uh Andis K here from blank straight Danny how you doing good morning everyone Thanks for thanks for your time today thank you for being with us Mr Kens um if you could please just briefly present the proposed Concepts to the board absolutely so this is uh going to be our sixth location in Boston we are a small format coffee shop uh all kind of heat to serve food no food preparation in place uh in any of our spaces right now so we're we're partnering with A&J King who's based out in Salem for our pastry offering we have a couple of proprietary items that are shipped from a commissary also uh but very very simple operation so nothing prep like prepared on site pairing with local vendors uh we've kind of been through the community process already zoning board is is also done so this is our hopefully last uh last item to check out the list here and we can we can open to a new kind of community in Boston which we very excited about uh excuse me thank you um and this is gonna be seven days a week yes okay thanks I have no questions commissioner car and commissioner Saxon no questions for me thank you none for me thank you great thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives Madame chair members of the board Connor Newman with the mayor's office of neighborhood services at this time the mayor's office to defer to the Judgment of this board on did not requireing a Butters meeting but we did direct the applican to reach out to the West End civic association which is the active Civic group for this area I'll run away of any concerns at this time thank you uh good morning Madam chair member of the board Anthony again for counselor Sharon derkin um she just wanted to go on record and support of this proposal today thank you very much are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter seeing n the board will'll take this under advisement as well thank you thank you so much guys have a great day and you calling item number three Papa e RDR Dorchester LLC doing business as Papa John's located at 1501 doorchester AV in doorchester has applied for a common vict license to be exercised at a previously licensed location 1,240 ft uh bathroom in the front with a couple of tables and chairs open Kitchen in the middle of the space with dishwashing station and walk-in fridge in the back with two exits manager Joe Johnson hours of operation 10: a.m. to 3:00 am. who's present on behalf of the applicant good morning attorney green Madam chair members of the board Dennis quilty attorney representing the applicant before you this morning I would like to make one housekeeping change we um did request and I thought it was accepted that the manager of record be replaced by Mr Charles tab was with us this morning I think we were confirmed for that through your office yesterday is that not the case yeah we just wanted you to say it on the records we didn't have enough time such last minute the agenda had already been posted for meeting while purpos you couldn't change it because it's we have Mr Johnson is here uh as well but Mr tab is the is the um our proposed manager of record thank you very much for that um and again uh with regard to the hours as a result of a lot of feedback from the community and from uh District City councelor Fitzgerald and the mayor's office we have reduced the hours of operation uh to be presently we're requesting uh midnight Sunday through Thursday and 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday only uh that's a uh reduction from the uh overall request of 3:00 a.m. closing hour um so we we we find that those hours are more in keeping with other similar businesses in the neighborhood and we're happy to cooperate with the district City councelor and the mayor's office to come to that uh um conclusion if you will today for this hearing so I do want to make sure that that is on the record when you make your deliberations later today um I we are here as a um applicant with us as well this morning in regard dis Mr tab who's the proposed manager of record the ownership team Joseph and Rolanda Johnson uh Sam Charles and with us as well is Michael Sheen who represents the property owner of this site as the uh application indicates is a previously licensed CV location has been for many years uh the landlord has uh would like to be heard in regard to um the history of the site um and history of um what has been going on in the neighborhood with regard to this application um having said that we have spent a great deal of time talking and discussing with people in around the site uh making clear that people understand that these G ladies and gentlemen are going to hire locally uh Mr tab is a Dorchester resident uh this is a majority minority owned business um they are are uh very anxious to be in the neighborhood and hire in the neighborhood uh you will probably hear later there was a Papa John's restaurant perhaps two blocks away uh which closed a couple of years ago it's not the same management team they had nothing to do with that site but there was an an existing Papa John's in this neighborhood as recently as two years ago um they are proposing a CV uh application for this site which again to remind you has been a CV location for many years um we have met with uh everyone in the community uh We've uh we had two on of Butters meetings uh we met with the Fields Corner civic association uh we have provided to the board as of this morning almost 500 signatures and letters in support of this application um from people in and around the local community we have met with uh District City councilor fitzell we have met with the mayor's office uh we've met with anyone who would be willing to meet with us to answer any questions they might have um and to talk about what we hope to do with this site um they're very anxious to uh be a part of this community to hire people from the community to have local people working here uh they have a longstanding tradition of support for Boys and Girls Clubs uh where wherever they have located uh and intend to do the same here at this site uh we hope that you will agree that with the reduction in hours proposed and with the uh the use that's totally similar to every other use that's taking place in this site for many many years that the board will see see it fit to support this application uh this morning I I would like to just ask uh Mr um Johnson who is one of the owners to uh make a statement here this morning Joe can you unmute yourself thank you um thank you Dennis um good morning to the you know um the board here so my name is uh Joe Johnson I'm here with my wife Randa Johnson and um we're both representing the Papa John's franchise seeking open in uh doorchester or reopen in doorchester as um you know Dennis alluded there was one to Papa John's there just a few blocks away um and you know closed for whatever reason in 2008 um unrelated to our organization um and I want to clarify you know we're we're not Papa John's corporate U we're a small business independently owned and operated franchise group um as as mentioned we're a minority owned franchise group um you know we started in 2016 and have been operating in the state of Massachusetts since 2018 um you know we've run numerous operation excellence awards and awards related to our community involvement and to date given over $150,000 and grants to local community organizations um we also you know sent our Inception prided ourselves and take care of our people going above and beyond to offer benefits competitive wages and and more um to our team um you as mentioned we believe in being a positive impact in the communities we serve not only with you know contributions financially but with our time mentorship um we've created a number of leadership acmy and franchisee 4 day opportunities to create awareness around franchising um you know and we've also you know since 2021 taken it upon ourselves to create a program and platform to create a pathway to franchise ownership um for people from underserved communities it's called our slice Charles tab who's our operating partner and coowner of this location from Dorchester is a program participant um we've been really excited about you know coming to this community um we've invested over $500,000 to build out this site um and you know kind of learn of opposition at the very end is a little dis you know disheartening um but you know we're you know we hope the board take everything Mr Cy said into consideration in addition to my statement and testimony here um and approve our license and um Madam chair if I may somewhat unusual we're very well aware of uh opposition to this petition if you will uh being orchestrated Tred by a competitive business owner immediately in the neighborhood and as a result of understanding what has gone on I would like you to hear from Mr Sheen who represents the property owner he has I think some very important information to provide to the board in this regard Michael yeah Mike Sheen I'm not sure if you can hear me but uh representative of 1501 doorchester Avenue LLC which is owned by Greg and Brandon feny uh the fies have been in fields Conor since 1988 they own property on doorchester Avenue Adam Street Parkman Street Gibson Street Clayton Street Park Street uh they rented this was the old Emerald aisle and when they had purchased captain dunit at the time had approached them to do something different and they did they developed the strip mall with a T-Mobile a local insurance company Valentine Insurance a hairdresser and the um Boston Burger site in 2017 Brian Chavez uh purchased a business and we did an assignment of the lease with him and he's responsible for the lease uh Co H we did work with all of our tenants uh we did not evict anyone and we uh gave some rent relief after covid had uh ended uh Brian did really not open up other than to advertise for a new marijuana business uh he was going on we weren't collecting rent it was over $25,000 we had a meeting with him we tried to do um a deal you know for B agreement it did not work out Brian kind of went silent on us uh and a meeting with brandan and Greg fie you explained the situation we owed over $20,000 in back rent and didn't think that he was going to reopen and knowing Brian from the pizza join and beanie Brothers employee many of them live in doorchester use that business uh Brandon Fen had asked me he said Mike can we rerent the space I said yeah we can you know asked about how long is he obligated to it another couple of years and Brandon said Mike work it out let's be neighborly and Brandon was very neighborly I said well what about back rent Brandon he said look if we can rerent the space let's take the I'm sorry I'm just confused what space are you talking about uh that Boston Burger space that's before you to be the pap John space and you're saying Brian Chavez rented it beforehand yes yes he did he rented it before us yes I'm sorry if I wasn't clear on that and you're the manager in the phy I'm the director of real estate for all the feni owned properties okay okay yeah I apologize if I wasn't clearing that so Mr Chavez was their tenant in this very same space operating a CV license in exactly the same space that they want to reopen as a CV license today yeah so um Brandon said let's just be neighborly you know hey everyone's had a top so let's get a release at the time there was still over a couple of years obligation on the lease uh over $100,000 uh Brian will speak to say he doesn't owe us any money he's correct because brandan feny being neighborly released him from all future rents even though there was a personal guarantee there and also released them and did not seek any back rent and we're simply and we're simply asking here to be be neighborly back to a good neighbor because the phies are good neighbors Been Good Neighbors in Dorchester for almost four decades now and um I've worked in this business over 30 years and I worked for some landlords that would have been at his throat not at his his knees giving him forgiveness so uh this company uh they vet we vetted them they are paying rent we've taken a security deposit uh we do extensive vetting and they met all our requirements and it was a CV and uh this is just about competition and quite frankly some of the conversations that I've had especially with the fields Conor Association it borders on violations of the Sherman anti trust act but with that being said we would hope that you would see through everything here and approve this because these are good people who are going to run and if you see what they've done to that space it's incredible thank you very much thank you Mike attorney quilty anything further before we move to questions from the board I would like to just Reserve rights to respond to uh whatever you're about next to he thank you very much um is the manager record with us I'm sorry Mr Tam yes hi I'm here oh there he is okay Charles just introduce yourself please hey I'm Charles I'm going to be the daily operating manager over there at this location um I lived in Dorchester born in Dorchester still live in Dorchester my family was here over 60 years um I graduated from the Burke High School in Grove Hall and just I've been working with these guys for over five to six years and um they given me the opportunity to bring something to my neighborhood and when they did that I said okay I'm going to go find the location I found the location 151 doorchester Al and I said this is perfect this is where this is where we touch the community and we will be hiring people in the community um I'm just disappointed that I have a shot to open up something in my community and I'm getting challenged by competition um the same competition that tried to run we're just talk about a CV right now and uh what you say Charles you're breaking up hello you can hear me breaking up I kind of I wanted Mr I wanted Charles just to talk a little bit about his qualifications as to be manager what his experiences in the industry is that a little better can you hear me a little better yes we can hear you now thank you yeah yeah all right I can't you're breaking up again turn camera yeah all right so basically my name my name is Charles tab I grew up in the neighborhood I was born in the neighborhood my family been there over 60 years um I've been working with this company this friend these these people for over F over five years roughly around six years um they giv me the opportunity to own something and live up to my dream in my neighborhood um and when they gave me this opportunity I went and found the location 1501 Dorchester have we know that there was a restaurant there before and this is a great location to touch the community um I feel like this is a community where I'm from and I want to hire local people and people that have the same dreams as me or even if they don't have the same dreams I just want to help the community um these are good people Joe and Randa and the team that we have we're really out just to help the community this this is it's it's really frustrating and I really like lost for words because it's like I'm from this city and I and I worked so hard to get to where I'm at and to get challenged by competition from the same people that tried to have run a restaurant in the same location is kind of heartbreaking to me um I would just I would just love for a chance and I'm just asking for the board just to give me a chance give me shot to show you guys what we can bring to the community thank you Mr T thank you chairman any further questions of the applicant I do have a few questions um what is your response to the um the fact that there are four other existing pizza places within same general area um chairwoman um I can take that question um so again you know Papa John's exist in that Community just in 2018 requested in 2018 I'm not it was at 1224 doorchester Avenue the proposed location is 1501 doorchester Avenue so same street just down the street from us where um that's my neighborhood so where exactly is 1200 what what's there now Joe um it Escapes Me Right Now Rondo Bakery right next to Burger King that's where it was yeah where Rondo Bakery is very successful now and and that location was there for many years right changed ownership when at some point um before 20 2018 and you know the business didn't make it um you know this doesn't represent a net new increase in you know pizza restaurants in that Community from 2018 so we we existed before for many years um with all the neighboring competition uh you know so you know for us it's it shouldn't change anything right we're coming back to a community not establishing something new that didn't exist there before how long were they there I don't the fact I don't remember it makes me think of I wasn't I'm not yeah um but it it was it was it was you know five or so years I can confirm the exact amount but it was there for years prior and so through your research and your team looking for places you felt this was the ideal spot for another pizza spot in Dorchester yes correct we we we in fact when the location closed you know we were seeking out the um the the owner of that building to reopen in that location previously um so we we absolutely believe doorchester Avenue was the best place for visibility access to the community okay with your business plan I mean the description says there'll be a couple of tables and chairs what percentage of your business will be dine in versus takeout yeah I would say probably you know 75 70 30% D in versus takeout um 70 D in oh uh 70 takeout 30% Dy in um you know possibly but the community has the ability to self- select into whatever which way they choose to dine with us we've got other locations that have seating which again have a higher you know opponent of dying in than it does take out so it's really about Community need and what the preference is and we just want to provide that optionality but this okay I I get that but the fact that there's only a couple of tables the size of the restaurant the fact that the plan is for 70% takeout I don't think there's a huge option for dying in in the neighborhood here so that makes me think that you'll be relying heavily on third party apps and delivery so could you talk me through what your um plan is for third party delivery and parking in this area yeah I think you know because it's zone for restaurant I think any restaurant right similar to bosburger they were you know High third party High takeout too um I think you know no doubt you know some of the consumer preference has changed and since 2020 um with the prevalence of third party um more than willing to work with the community with whatever parking plans needed but the fact is this particular location has been a CV license has been a restaurant since for many many years years I don't think our parking challenge would be anything different than any restaurant that would occupy that space okay I do as a neighbor there so I just want to talk through um what your plan is I mean people double park run in pick up their Uber Eats their door Dash have you guys thought that through as a Management Group what you're going to do there's not a lot of parking there yeah so we have our own drivers There's real rear access parking in the back um we've talked with the landlord about having our drivers there to open up spots in the front for you know come and go traffic um so that we're not occupying that that space as well um so is that so is that the plan so I'd like to see that in writing if that is the landlord's agreement that they can use parking in the back we provide we kind of want we want we've been it's not just this application this is happening in every neighborhood of the city with the third party delivery or your own delivery operators especially with a business plan 70% takeout I'd like to see that in writing where the the delivery drivers are we'll provide letter from the landlord okay and I'd like to see where they're going to park and stuff like that yes ma'am absolutely um I I just if I could just add that that the site was was the say was a takeout burger place to no I I know but there's a difference between a national chain that you know the marketing and advertising that goes into that versus bosberg I suppose but I mean the the facility is the same for them as it would be for these folks the same size the same sure I I would just argue that perhaps the delivery might be more for a national chain pizza place it just these are questions I ask everyone I understand and as you said times have changed so maybe when BOS burgo was there there wasn't such a Reliance on third party delivery or takeout but it's a question that the board is asking that the transportation department is asking us yeah to get on the record so that's I'm doing my job yes understood and so just to confirm Saturday and Sunday the closing hour will be 1:00 am. what time the other days of the week Friday the 1:00 am excuse me 1: am Friday Saturday only every other day of the week midnight okay okay um I think those are all the questions I have right now I might have at some more after the public testimony but commissioner Karan or commissioner Saxon do you have any questions um at this time I just want to uh confirm and kind of go further where you were going uh Madam chair the access would be in the back of the building is that what you said Y correct yeah there's a real rear parking space in about yeah the the rear park off of faler Street correct how would that work look I'm just looking at Satellite so you you can tell me what you're seeing there but um will some of that be designated for your drivers to come in and out that that is the plan okay um all right this time I have nothing else I expect I might have something to talk about after comments yeah but I I do want to kind of say in the way of warning that I think attorney quilty is rightfully kind of focused on how competition cannot be a factor for us so I just want anyone who has comments try to keep that in mind uh for for Effectiveness here for our all our times here that you really have to give us something distinguished from competition if you have objections so that's all I have to say right now thank you uh no question of mine I think that commissioner um or chair Joyce he asked a question of the um um the manager of record about his experience and I think there was some technical difficulties and I'm not sure he heard that question Charles just I think he did suggest he's worked with this group for five years but um is Charles still with us yeah I'm with you guys um yeah I worked in this company I started from a just a regular pizza maker and um I grown my way all the way up to operating apartment so the experience is there um um of serf save um yeah thank you thank you thank you any further questions from the board before we move to testimony are there any elected officials or the representatives who wish to testify before we move to General members of the public yes madame chair members of the board Conor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's off to defer to the Judgment of this board some background information on the community process uh on hosted wab Butter's meeting on August 13th initially there was a meeting scheduled for July but that was pulled down um the meeting was well attended uh there was a variety of um opinions expressed um some of the attendees were supportive of uh Papa John's moving into this location there were also some abutters that were on that expressed some concerns regarding uh the potential for double parking as well as uh noise generated from uh delivery drivers uh late in the evening um after uh bedtime um after that the applicant went on to meet with the Fields Corner civic association which ultimately voted to oppose the proposal uh we also received uh letters in opposition from uh the local main streets Association as well as an abutter um these comments Express concerns regarding the hours of operation um and just the desire to preserve um uh different diverse types of businesses as well as uh appr reference for local and small businesses um as stated uh you know additional letters and comments of opposition uh I believe have been forwarded to this board directly so we don't have access to those uh but the those are the comments that we have received uh with that we'll defer to the board at this time thank you hello uh Madam chair members of the board Liam Remis from councel Fitzgerald's office RFS would like to on record and opposition to this proposal it's nothing personal against the manager and management of this project it's mainly because we've heard the uh Community concerns and that there's already multiple options to get pizza within Fields Corner we already have Antonio across the street uh Pizza 24 is also close around the block and there's another chain Domino located up the street as well uh we feel that the opening of this pizza place will have also its negative effects on the local businesses across uh across the street which has been positive um in giving back to the community already thank you thank you indis I see your hand is raised as well you may please provide your testimony on behalf of councelor Santana good morning and uh sorry again about the technical difficulties earlier no worries um Madam and uh of the chair members of the board my name is indis Johnson and I'm from city counselor at large Henry Santana's team and the counselor would like to go on record and opposition uh to this proposal thank you very much are there any other sorry counselor uh commissioner K uh do we have a letter uh from indis sorry I I don't believe a letter has been no indis do you know if the counselor is submitted a letter I don't believe we have one on file I can confirm with our chief of staff thank you you're welcome if there is no letter do you just have any kind of statement on the why not at this time thank you you're welcome thank you very much are there any other elected officials Representatives who would like to testify on this matter we will move to members of the public who wish to testify the firsthand that I see raised is from uh Allen Allen's iPhone if you could please identify yourself and provide your testimony you'll have two minutes to do so and I will ask you to unmute and you can provide your testimony uh good morning members of the board appreciate the time my name is Alan isacson I am the owner of h11 bomb realy and H1 bomb Insurance Agency uh my insurance agency's been there since 1923 um we've owned the property there uh since the mid 1990s and as someone who's in the neighborhood every day and not only as a business person uh leasing space but also as an owner of space I'd encourage the board that if they determine that puppet Johns has followed all the rules I would support them being granted this license um it is very difficult to start a business today we have to be able to have reliable process and transparency and they followed the rules there's certainly people that are against but there are certainly people that are in support and if you consider the decision by Fields Corner Main Street and the fields cor civic association it is notable that both of these groups had no problem with McDonald's requesting to be open until 3:00 am. McDonald's is right around the corner the extension to 3:00 a.m. was going to be for delivery only and if we're if the primary concern is the impact of delivery surfaces in the area then one really has to question the rationale to oppose Papa John's because of a 3 AM request but yet Domino's up the street is open to 3:00 am. McDonald's just requested to go to 3:00 am and neither of these groups um opposed either of those requests so I'd ask that we look at the request for what it is look at their experience their commitment to the community and if we determine they follow the rules they should be granted an opportunity as anyone else would to start a business and uh support this community thank you thank you for your testimony the next hand that I see raised is from Kyle scoffield uh you may please unmute yourself and provide your testimony I'll have two minutes uh good morning uh my name is Kyle scoffield uh I'm a lifelong Boston resident and manager and teacher at a nonprofit at 1490 Dorchester AV in Fields Corner it's called level ground it's like a Stones throw away from from the proposed Papa John uh I want to start off by thanking the members of the board for allowing me to speak today in opposition of the proposed Papa John it's in my opinion that uh Papa John's doesn't add value to the community as mentioned before it's nothing personal it's just that we have several fast food options within a square mile and more beyond that um at level ground one of our professional development programs uh for the local Youth and one of our missions is to educate kids about healthy foods and cooking healthy sustainable meals we have members of our community and I'm sure the fields uh Fields Corner Community as well that uh uh has health conditions that are directly related to are exacerbated by unhealthy food options and having worked at level ground in a Fields Corner for two years I've watched day in and day out uh the result of an area that's already saturated with fast food options and the difficulties this brings to a community uh opening another fast food option is not in my opinion is not in the better interest for a community which is why I asked the board to deny the request of Papa John St open at this location sort of in the name of health and wellbeing for the community something that our program is trying to or working very hard to try to protect and preserve uh thank you guys for your time and consideration trying to be brief hope I'm under two minutes you are under two minutes thank you for your testimony the next that I see raised is from Brian Chavez Mr Chavez uh you may please pleas provide your testimony you'll have two minutes starting now thank you uh good morning Brian Chavez here owner uh 1508 doorchester aval and Resident at 31 mil street I will be brief to respect the board's time I want to start off that I object to the misar mischaracterizations and outright lies that have been put on the record by Michael shean this is not the forum for what would be a private business dispute um I am here in strong opposition not because of the potential competition of myself or other local business owners but for for the following reasons there one there is already a saturation of existing Pizza establishments in the immediate vicinity and there is no public need for another Pizza establishment there secondly there's a lack of healthy food options in our neighborhood appren another Pizza establishment would NE would negatively impact the Public Health and Welfare of our community by exacerbating the lack of healthy options already Papa John's has a wellestablished menu and there's no emphasis on healthy options approving the CV license to Papa Johns would also negatively impact the quar quality of life issues impacted in the neighborhood including traffic congestion parking loitering and trash Papa John's has an exclusive partnership with door Dash as their third party uh delivery drivers and that's goingon to create an influx of Reckless operators of uh doing deliveries this is not about competition this is not about uh protecting local businesses this is not about local versus franchise this is about the the duty to protect the community this is about the public need Public Health and Welfare and quality of life of Phils corner I respect ful request the board uh deny this application for a pizza establishment regardless of who owns and operates it at a location where there's already a saturation of pizza establishments thank you for your time M Mr TR you are at your two minutes if there's anything uh additional to wrap up quickly otherwise you can submit anything in writing to the board all right and now just quickly I just want to talk about what boss Berger was and wasn't boss Berger was not fast food we had healthy options we had Mo food made to order we had fruits and bananas I just want to clarify that that's not the applicant's fault they're not from the community just want to educate uh on what it was thank you thank you the next hand that I see raised is from a Fields Corner resident if you could please uh identify yourself and provide your testimony you'll have two minutes to do so Fields Corner resident Jason um there's a lot of mischaracterizations about this restaurant from its onset that I would encourage the board to look at what the space looks like right now the square footage for the so-called seating for a couple of tables um they have a Lobby where people will stand in order and pick up and uh deliveries will come and grab their orders and then they have a countertop that's about six feet wide where they'll imagine they'll be putting some stools I encourage uh the board to look at the space and its current form and what's being represented um this this is not about competition Papa John's on their best day cannot compete with Antonio's high five as far as quality of pizza Antonio's high five the recipe has been in the community since 1960 it's well known Um Papa John's is a competition to Dominoes Papa John's is not a competition to a wellestablished pizza restaurant like high-f five um there is no parking in the back for Papa John's uh there's a commercial parking space on the street and the parking lot belongs that's behind the building belongs to the bling Stone um we have to take the comments as far as what's established in the in the area McDonald's has been in the area for a long time it's been established that the owners are very um involved in the community you cannot compare that to a proposed location of saturation it's not the same talking about what's already there versus about what wants to come there uh I would have object to any classification that Papa John's has followed all the rules they are clearly a takeout restaurant but for their building permit to avoid the zba in the community process uh said that they will have 30% dining or more than 70 more than 25% D in versus 75% takeout I don't know how they quantify that um it clearly says on their building permit Papa John's is a takeout restaurant uh so I would object to any characterization that they have been playing by the rules they circumvented the community process and the zba process by claiming that they're not going to you are at your 2 minutes now as well there's a final statement you would like to wrap up with otherwise you can submit anything yes you have the owner of the establishment saying that they're going to be 7030 uh for the ISD purposes they had to say they had to say they' be 7525 um based on what he said I would encourage his board to send this application back to theba for Community process thank you for your testimony the next hand I see raised is from Jackie West Divine uh you may please provide your testimony you will have two minutes starting now thank you so much MERS of Bo for hearing me speak I am the executive director of fields Main Street so I come um today with a very specific lens our call is to support the small business district in Fields Corner um because our belief is that through a healthy small business district lives a healthy Community we aim for our residents needs to be met in the district hopefully in walking distance and so um there's a few things that I take umage with when it comes to this Papa John's location I want to start first with saying that we had reached out in April long before they started their buildout to express concerns because two Papa John's have failed in the city of Boston within the last 10 years and there is also many other um pizza shops in the neighborhood but there's great collegiality between them they rely on each other they're friends they compare notes um they're all also highly responsive to the needs of the neighborhood and adjust their menus accordingly things that Papa John's really can't account for in a a franchise model you know I I would also say that as Papa John started getting to know the community they were very friendly with people and represented themselves as local small business owners which a franchise you know is always a little bit flexible of but traditionally and that sort of model uh franchise owner would be local would buy into a franchise and be the ground up this is a group um called disrupt foods that owns over 20 Papa John um and lives in New Jersey there is still a lot of challenges with small businesses Staffing prices have gone up um it third party of course delivery is a challenge um I will say that Brian Chavez um through Antonio's and bosburger employees all of his delivery drivers they're members of his staff he's also been um friendly with other small business owners that who need delivery services he he comes in with those but that's all to say that when we have a small business owner who's of the community they can be responsive to the needs of the community whether that's um being able to attend to other small business owners supports or um whatever the community might mean I I I could write you a poem about the small business owners in our community who you're over your two minutes as well if there's a last Point you'd like to make we do have your letter on file thank you so much I appreciate your time but I I just want to say the small business really does matter um and it makes a an incredible impact that the city has invested in um and the federal government invests in for and of course in every political campaign we talk about the heart of small business so it really is um a crucial matter thank you thank you very much the next hand I see raised is from Ellen Ellen if you could please identify yourself and provide your testimony to the board you will have two minutes good morning thank you so much for allowing me to voice my opposition in regards to this proposal I my name is Ellen schmarzo and I'm a longtime Fields Corner resident small business owner and president Co and co-chair of Fields Corner Main Street I am here to reiterate um the statement that Fields Corner has already put out um that you know this is not anti-b buus um we would love if people followed the rules as um Alan Isaacson mentioned um however the owners have not been transparent throughout this process they misrepresented themselves as locals but New Jersey does not count given that most of our business owners live and breathe within a couple miles of Fields Corner um in addition to that multiple Papa John's locations have already failed and we um as a small business sort of support group here um we do not wish to see constant turnover in this neighborhood it is a blight on our neighborhood and we seek fresher options that the community is demanding and we are in response to the feedback that we overwhelmingly hear from our constituents on a daily basis thank you so much for your time thank you very much uh the next hand I see raised is from Junior Pana uh you may please unmute yourself and provide your testimony you will have two minutes to do so yes hi good morning uh members of the board thank you uh for having me uh as you have stated my name is Junior pñ I'm aone time resident and small business owner in Phils Corner um I don't want to repeat what has already been said but I would like to uh suggest as one of the um one of the members here um one of the speakers here alluded earlier about respecting the process so we're going to respect the process that and we should respect the voice of the community Through Phils Corner Main Street and uh Phils Corner civic association they have the best interest of the community at heart and they the the the eyes and ears of the residents and and the bords so if the residents most of the residents have already voiced their concerns and they oppose this uh business proposal I think should be taken into serious consideration uh because these are the organizations that that are there um you know to represent the communities they serve and if that's being the the is that being the main concern about this business proposal then we should take in um that into consideration thank you for having me again thank you very much the last hand that I see raised is From Desire franel uh you may please unmute yourself and provide your testimony you'll have two minutes to do so hello thank you for your time today um wanted to go on the record um to oppose this proposal um as everyone has already stated field Corner field corn already saturated with fast food restaurants and approving this will only pose a serious health concern it will also threaten the survival of our cherished small businesses we already have four pizza restaurants in the area and frankly I don't think there's a need for a fourth especially from a corporation like Papa John's whose negative culture is has been widely documented including a 2018 Forbes article that shed light on its troubling practices um there's already a ton of big corporations in the neighborhood McDonald's Target price right Dunkin Donuts and we all know what happens when these big corporations come into the neighborhood they only destroy um the small business businesses that are already operating they're not bringing smoothies or salads or health foods or health foods which a lot of the pizza shops in the area already offer um so I firmly oppose this um establishment in the field Corner area thank you thank you there is another hand raised from Haitians of Boston if you could please identify yourself uh for the board and provide your testimony you'll have two minutes hi everyone my name is Sher kajus founder of patient of Boston Boston's number one Haitian media platform I fully support support Rolanda and Sam um I've known them for quite some time they've done great things around Boston and around mass for people um I understand people's reasoning but um I do still think that Papa John's needs to be there um yeah I fully support them so yeah thank you very much for your thank you for your testimony are there any other individuals who have not not yet provided testimony who wish to do so uh Mr Divine you have already provided your testimony and we have a a letter on record as well so we will'll move to see if there are any other individuals who have not yet provided testimony attorney quilty uh you had asked to respond to the testimony I'll give you if I might um I as I sit here listening to uh people talk about fresh food options and the like uh it Dawns on me that uh every neighborhood in the city uh has numerous food options for fast food healthy food all kinds of food um the situation here is that I know and I think the board knows that the opposition to this matter has been led by Mr Chavez who's a competitor across the street selling the same products that Papa John cells he is the person who failed in this exact site his fast food restaurant failed at this location he is the one who left the property owner high and dry didn't pay the rent was leted off the hook and now in in gratitude is opposing a a similar restaurant across the street it it's it's not incumbent in my opinion it's not incumbent upon the property owner to be uh the food uh fashion food if you will for the community there there's nothing wrong with this food product it's the same as the food product across the street uh and that's where this opposition is being ginned up from you know that we know that all the letters of of opposition were were originated at that shop and that's where all the other opposition has come from it's it's it's as plain as as day um with regard to the process there was some indication earlier that we somehow circumvented zoning that is not true the opponents tried to make a case of this at the zoning at the inspectional services department and their application was turned down this site was approved by istd for this use there's no question about that the only thing between this small business these people being able to open and not is the license that we hope your board will issue for for Food Service we've reduced the hours we've answered as many complaints as we could answer uh we ask only to be treated like every other small business food operator in the neighborhood and I do think that we owe Mr Sheen a chance to respond since he was basically called a liar by Mr Chavez if I can respond as well after the mic since we're going to just go back and forth because there's been a lot of slander that's been said um but yeah we'd like a moment to address um some of the con you know concerns raised from some of the community members that we haven't heard from just to make sure we we set the record straight on on a couple um mischaracterizations since that's the word of the day well I I think you got the platform take it chairman Joyce are we allowing further yeah I'll start off just two minutes but in specific uh I mean I'm sorry in particular I wanted to know if it is true that you have an exclusive contract with door Dash not true Papa John's as a National Corporation works with all other third party um organizations um not exclusive to Door Dash we still retain and primarily support the use of our own drivers you know obviously committing to keeping those jobs um ourselves there is some supplemental partnership that's available out there um but we prefer obviously to use our own delivery drivers oh this is um so just you know Randa is here too I just want a opportunity kind of you know you know reply to some of the comments one about unhealthy fast food options and you know I know our opponent is the one who operates to fast food restaurants who sells fried food we don't sell anything fried everything's baked through an oven um our tagline and core premise or promise is better ingredients better pizza so the the corporation and that's what Drew us to it um they are the better Pizza option um you know you know our sauce is from the vine into the can right there's not these additional additives in the product so to characterize us as just another Pizzeria that's selling unhealthy food is is I think it's it's a little off off base um just to you know also respond to the public need piece I think again the brand formerly existed there there's no net new opening from 2018 of pizza restaurants that that existed um and they both they all coexisted together for many many years until the brand was sold to someone else who unfortunately didn't work out which I feel for that person because they invested just like we did hundreds of thousands of dollars to to to build a business and a community that they wanted to operate in and Thrive I mean think when you think about what the public needs you know the public needs more black and brown you know black and brown owner representation too right I think you know I always say people make businesses business businesses don't make people um I think just as important as what's being sold as who's selling it um you know I think in the state of Massachusetts you know A fifth or more of the the the state is black and Latino um but businesses with employees make up less than 4% U of you know are are those business owners right um Charles tab has an opportunity today not because Pizza chose him but the people chose him right because the people that look like him are in position of ownership um and see it as important to use their platform so that's my question is m Mr tab the manager or managerowner a coowner he's an operating partner in 2021 we started a platform called our slice to help create a pathway for franchise ownership for underrepresented communities and you a participant correct and you live where I personally live in New Jersey I do I wish we could live in every community that we serve we've got how many how many do you own we own 23 Papa Johns okay and this will be Mr um tabs first correct one that he has ownership interest in correct okay um I think you know again the public needs conscious business owners um who are not just using their their platform to take from the community we have a documented track record of supporting communities not only with our dollars but our time and our commitment to helping platform and uplift those people from those communities so we're not just any other business owner that's looking to just sell pizza in the community so I think that should be considered as well um and I you know yield the rest of my time sorry I I will be really brief um as Joe mentioned one of the very first awards that we received was for the building Community inward in 2018 and as he mentioned we have an extensive track record for the work that we do in the community but for us and for me personally it is about the people it truly breaks my heart when people come by the store asking if we're hiring we can't hire if we don't know when we'll be able to open there's a lot that we do for the people there's not many business owners that give their team members a you know loans I know what it's like to have financial hardship to go from a two income household to one income household when my father had to have a heart transplant and was on disability I know the importance of insurance that's why for me it is important to make sure all of our team members have the option to have insurance it's not a luxury it's a necessity for me when I was sitting in the Cancer Institute getting ready to start chemo I could see people that were denied Services because they didn't have insurance it's not some we just don't talk about it these are things that are personal to us it's things that shape who we are and it's an extensive track worker for the work that we do you can talk to any of our team members and they can tell you how we care for them and how quite frankly we've been able to change their lives they've said oh we've worked here for a number of years we never even had the option to have insurance that's something that's personal to us because I know what it's like to fight for your life and have the insurance that allow you to be able to to get the services that you need and I've seen people Deni healthcare because they weren't properly insured so again I just want to take this moment to say there's a lot of things as being said that quite frankly aren't true again Papa John's doesn't even have a fryer everything is baked we talk about healthy options I don't know if hamburgers and fried foods is more healthy than the baked pizza so I just want to take that moment to say that there's a lot that's being said and we're I don't know if we're going to continue to go in circles but again from the moment that we've opened this store we've not only been concerned about our team members but also the communities that we serve and I think there's been no concern and it's right it's kind of disrespectful that we continue to dismiss Mr Charles T who's a part of our team and an owner in our team we keep saying we're not local you're not local as if this man doesn't exist I think this is this is exactly why we do what we do to give these you know people that look like us a platform and a voice I think it's very disrespectful that everybody keeps overlooking this thank you thank you we've had we spent a given you some extra time and I think I got my answers question my questions an about ownership and local ownership um I W to ask that we move on yeah and I want to expain I want to expend to that just on behalf of me is very disrespectful okay we're gonna move on sorry we're gonna move on this is not gonna be we don't have like this where people go back and forth what person I think you understand we're gonna move on unless I think I've I've gotten all the my questions answered commissioner curan commissioner Saxon um I think we have all of our questions answered if it may be splitting hairs to a certain degree but as the board certainly knows unlike the case of an alcohol license where public need is part of the statute that is not the case in CV lure and yes Bo does know that I just don't want this to turn into a public um battle here so we're gonna move on marking back to commissioner uh Curran's statement about competition this is about competition I think the board knows it I know it and that is a an improper reason to vote this thing down I mean disrespect but I just need to I'm just so curious like what percentage does Charles to own of uh Papa John's did he make an investment because in June when I originally spoke to the um Joe and Chris he was not in the picture so I I just feel that needs to be I've I've always been in the picture we're gonna move on I'm in these is daytoday working I work in these stores I work with the community yeah sorry we do need to move on we have Miss Divine if you Google right this isn't something we just started are going platform and fur testimony can be delivered through writing to licensing board at boston.gov thank you we'll take this matter under advisement thank you all calling item number four hersa concession Associates LLC doing business as the envoy Hotel hotel located at 70 sleeper Street holder of and in holder all alcoholic beverages license has petitioned to change the manager of the license business from Joseph Mia to Joshua Glover attorney Andrew Upton attorney Upton good morning everyone Andrew Upton for the licy with me is Josh Glover the proposed manager of record uh longtime manager Joe Malia has retired Josh has taken over he has worked at this hotel uh for the past decade under the manager and now he has the opportunity to be promoted to the manager he is a Mass resident he is a US citizen uh he has extensive experience as I said and he is very familiar with the rules and regulations of this board and he's here to answer any questions if you have them I just don't see him oh there he is he's on my second page thank you attorney Upton thank you Mr GL for joining us I have no questions commissioner Saxon or Commissioner Karen view I do not thank you n from me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement thank you thank you calling item number five Huntington Theater Company Inc doing business as cwood Pavilion at the BCA located at 527 Tremont Street holder of a common vict or 7-Day wines and M beverage's license has petitioned for a change of officers directors who's present on behalf of the applicant hi I'm sandre Catz I'm the uh the manager and it is uh none of the officers have changed it is just a change to our nonprofit board okay and just to confirm are there any operational changes nope thank you commissioner Karan or commissioner sax do any changes no questions thank you none for me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement as well thank you very much thank you calling item number six Trinity Ashmont restaurants LLC doing business as Tavo located at 1918 Dorchester AB in Dorchester holder of a common VI or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license has petitioned to change the manager of the license business from Chris Douglas to Tara o and secondly has petitioned for a change of LLC managers attorney Maggie Roberts Attorney Roberts thank you attorney green good morning Madam chair members of the board Maggie Roberts with Prince oel here on behalf of the ly and with me today is Tara Oran the proposed manager of record um as yours mentioned we're requesting a slight change to the beneficial interest of the leny um and the manager of record Tara there are no costs associated with this transaction and application um The Entity that is the sole member with 100% ownership interest will remain the same and the only change involves removing an individual who is a managing member with 0% ownership interest um in the lensey at Tara and along with that we are proposing her to be the new manager of record she is a US citizen resident of Massachusetts familiar with the rules and regulations of the spard and abcc and has extensive experience in the restaurant industry um she's currently the manager at tavolo having been with them since 2018 and was previously a manager at Ashmont grill for over 10 years um I'll pause there and happy to answer any questions you may have for us thank you attorney Roberts thank you m Reen for joining us I have no questions um at this time Commissioner Karen and commissioner Saxon no questions for me thank you none for me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter than the board will take this under advisement as well thank you very much thank you call item number seven gallway house doing business as the gallway house located at 710a to 712 Center Street in Jamaica plane holder of a common vitual or 7day all alcoholic beverages license has petitioned to change the manager of the license business from Edward lanzillo to ALB Jura secondly has petitioned for a change of officers directors and thirdly has petitioned for a change of stock interest lastly has petitioned to pledge the license and inventory to Rockin trust company who's present on behalf of the applicant good morning Madam chair members of the board attorney Tyler Hensler from canel and develin on behalf of gallway house Inc with me is Alby Jura who is purchasing 100% of the stock in gway gallway house Inc and as such we are applying for a transfer of stock change of officers change of manager and a pledge of the license as I said Alby Jura will be buying 100% of the stock in gallway house Inc from longtime odor Ed lanzillo Albi has worked at the gallway house for 12 years and is now going to be taking over the business which is a staple on Center Street in J mea plane with its iconic green Side Green Sign and brick facade uh Mr jura's intention is to keep everything the same as it is now and has been for years uh from The Great Food menu beer and cocktail selection to the iconic interior Decor so the people of Jamaica plane can expect the same great gallway house to continue to operate for years to come under Mr jura's ownership for community outreach we reached out to the office of Neighborhood Services who did not require an a Butters meeting even so we reached out to the neighborhood groups we then attended a lunch meeting with the Jamaica plane Business and Professional Association on October 16th which was supportive was great uh and we were also uh we are set to meet with the JAMA plane neighborhood Council next week as well even though that will be after this hearing uh just to continue to establish a good relationship with the new owner uh we're also applying for change of officers as Alby Juro will now be replacing Edward lanzilla as the president secretary treasurer and director of gallway house Inc Alby will also be taking over as the manager of record as such I should add that he is a US citizen a Massachusetts resident he's familiar with the rules and regulations related to the sale and service of alcohol of this board the abcc and the laws of the Commonwealth and he has experience in the industry as again he worked at the gway house for 12 years and is excited to take the Reigns there will also be a pledge of the license pursuant to a loan taken out for the purchase price of the stock here with that we're happy to take any questions thank you for your time uh thank you attorney um thank you Mr jur for joining us today um just looking through my notes I don't think I have any questions at this time Commissioners do you I do not thank you none for me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter oh yep uh I do see Michael Riskin with a hand raise Mr Riskin you could uh please provide your testimony um my name is Michael Riskin I live at 425 South Huntington Avenue in Jamaica plane I'm a member of the Jamaica plane neighborhood Council and chair of its Public Service committee um we while the uh gallway house is a longstanding restaurant in the neighborhood uh we would like the opportunity to meet with them on this uh 100% uh change uh of ownership of the gallway house we have scheduled a meeting for less than a week next Tuesday on November 5th and we ask that you defer the decision uh allow for Community process to be completed thank you respectfully Madam chair and and Michael ricein and I have have spoken on this but we reached out to the jamaic plan neighborhood Council on September 30th uh where we were then referred to the Jamaica plane Business and Professional Association who again we met with on October 16th we did not hear from the Jamaica plane neighborhood Council after this meeting on the 16th until they reached out this past Sunday suggesting a November 5th hearing date this you know again after on confirmed that uh you know they wouldn't require a community process we're happy to meet with the jamaa plane neighborhood Council and in fact again have a hearing scheduled for November 5th at 7:00 p.m. p.m which we flyed for yesterday but as the board knows these applications can take some time at the abcc and uh this application is very important to this transaction and we don't want Alby Jura and the gway house to incur any further time or expense caused by further delay so we again respectfully ask the board to not defer and to continue with their vote as scheduled tomorrow thank you thank you any any questions from the board following the testimony okay with that the board will take this matter under advisement thank you thank you items number 8 through 11 will be called together uh the leny is RB sbw Inc doing business as roach Brothers supermarkets at 8 Summer Street and at 1800 Center Street in West Roxberry items 8 and 10 holder of a retail package store all alcoholic beverage license and a retail Package Store wines and M beverage license as petition to change the corporate structure of the license business and as petition for a change of ownership interest and has also petitioned for a change of stock interest items 9 and 11 holder of these same two licenses has petitioned for a change of ownership interest and has petitioned for a change of stock interest attorney Andrew Upton once again attorney Upton uh good morning everyone Andrew Upton Upton canel and delin for the license C with me is my co Council Alex Fury of conine and fury uh good morning these are uh pre-approved transaction by the abcc because uh they are two of nine locations so I believe the board is in receipt of a letter pre-approving from the abcc what we are doing here is making a corporate change uh to the roach Brothers entity that owns this license at 8 Summer Street uh and on Center Street in West rockbury the corporate change involves a change of name and a change of business entity stat uh so these are technical changes for tax purposes uh the second change for both is a transfer of 51% of the stock from some of the roach brothers who are retiring from the business uh to a man named Michael bazo who is a uh businessman in Connecticut uh longstanding Food Service professional so first we're making the technical change at each location then we are transferring the stock um other than than that there are no changes to any aspect of operation hours management floor plan no aspect of the operation in any location here or in Massachusetts is changing uh we've got a technical corporate change for tax purposes then we have the transfer of stock and as I mentioned it is pre-approved by the abcc so with that we're glad to answer any questions thank you I have no questions Commissioners do you have any questions I do not thank you no questions thanks thank you thank you very much thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on these matters 8 through 11 seeing on the board will take these under advisement as well thank you thank you thank you thank you uh item number 12 the board has learned that the required autter notifications have not been sent prior to the hearing the applicant has been notified that they will need to read advertise and uh resend notifications and appear at a future hearing calling item number 13 W Entertainment Group Inc doing business as Limelight located at 204 Tremont Street holder of aom and vit or 7-Day Wines in M beverages with the Kors license has petitioned to amend the description of the premise from ground floor restaurant divided into 13 rooms kitchen and storage in rear entrance and exit in the front and rear of the building bar with 15 seats to ground floor including restaurant approximately 11,740 ft total with performance area stage and tables with approximately 30 seats lounge with seating for approximately seven patrons and bar with 11 seats 23 individual karaoke rooms together with kitchen service bar storage office space and restrooms the building has entrances and exits at the front rear and side and secondly has petition to change the DBA of the licens business from Limelight to Viva karaoke and Studios attorney Dennis quilty attorney quilty good morning again attorney green Madam chair members of the board excuse me Dennis quilty representing the lensey with us this morning is Henry Wong who's the excuse me owner operator the application before you today is comes about as an application for alteration of premise and change of DBA resulting from Mr Wong's uh ability to take over a joining a joining space to add to his existing business at this location uh that is U the the change the only change that's being requested in addition to a change of DBA to the new name of Viva karaoke in studios otherwise the business Remains the Same no change of hours operations Etc just the additional space he's able to lease uh immediately adjacent to his premises and Mr Wong is here if you have any questions thanks very much for that oh just one minut we did we reached out to on they didn't require an a buers meeting asked us to to not to flyer the area which we did met with the mpna uh they had no opposition and also reached out to the downtown residents did not get a response but we don't think it's in their jurisdiction anyway but in any event we reached out thank you great thanks um I have no questions commissioner caros Saxon do have any questions I do not thank you no questions thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes madame chair members of the board Conor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the May off to defer to the Judgment of this board as you heard from the app's representation uh on required flying to a Butters and the applicant also went on to engage with local stakeholders as well I believe they're also in contact with Emerson College um we're unaware of any concerns at this time and with that we'll uh we'll defer to the board thank you good morning Madame sharers and members of the board Laura here from Cil of Flynn's office at this time counil of Flyn would like to respectfully ask for additional Community process with neighbors from that from the downtown neighborhood association and that the board please refrain from any votes until the process has been completed thank you m chair may I respond to that we we reached out to everybody we were told to reach out to okay I can I can bring that information back to the counselor okay thank you thank you are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement thank you thank you calling item number 14 copper Smith Hall LLC located at 40 West Third Street in South Boston holder of a common vict 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license has petition to transfer the license and the location from the above to a 15 Neco TRS holding LLC located at 15 Neco Street premise consists of 7,371 f feet on ground floor of Life Sciences and office building consisting of contiguous restaurant dining areas with seating for 174 p patrons a bar with seating for 11 patrons and a private dining room with seating for 40 patrons kitchen back of house storage areas and restrooms located throughout 3,000 foot annual weather permitting outdoor patio on private property with seating for 170 patrons 1:00 a.m. indoor closing hour 1 am outdoor closing hour Michael sha Sims manager attorney Mike Ross attorney Ross thank you attorney green uh and good morning Madam chair and members of the board uh Michael Ross with Prince LEL here on behalf of the applicant and with me today is Shay Sims the proposed manager of record as well as uh senior vice president of Asset Services for Alexandria real estate who is the owner of this property I'm also joined by my colleague attorney Maggie Roberts uh as attorney green stated uh we're here today to request a transfer of license from copper Smith Hall LLC to AR15 Neco TRS Holdings LLC and a change of location to 15 Neco Street 15 Neco Street is a 12-story life science building that's fully leased to the pharmaceutical company Eli Lily and Company uh for research and development and open this past summer the property is in the fourpoint channel neighborhood and it overlooks the channel and Arbor Walk the ground floor of the building offers restaurant and outdoor patio space which is the proposed license premise that we're seeking to transfer the license to as we detailed in our application this space is as mentioned 7,371 Square ft along with a 3,000 foot outdoor patio that overlooks the channel the growth of the fourpoint area includes the approximate 1500 tenants in this property including those tenants that would benefit from an additional licensed restaurant at this time an operator has not been formally identified the applicant will either operate the premises itself uh with an operator through a management agreement or may seek to transfer to an operator who will lease the premises with the building in either case there will be a robust Community process to go through that um as mentioned Shay Sims will be the proposed manager of record for the license sheay is a US citizen he's a resident of Massachusetts he is familiar with the rules and regulations of the board and um uh and the abcc and as they pertain to the sale and service of alcohol uh in addition to being the senior vice president of Asset Services for Alexandria where he oversees the management operation of the company's assets including 15 Neo uh Shay has prior prior experience in the restaurant industry having worked as a waiter and a bartender throughout College as such he's prepared to serve in this role until a new operator and new manager of record is identified I'll I'll pause there Madam chair and see if there are any questions thank you what do you think the timing is on getting a new Ator when you think you'll be open uh we think that uh uh upon the uh full tenant fit out of the space we would be looking at um optimistically uh last quarter of 2025 okay please keep us posted I will uh commissioner C commissioner Saxon do you have any questions not at this time thank you no questions thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes Madam chair members of the board Conor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's office will defer to the Judgment of this board um on will conduct a full community process uh when they are further along with an operator tenant identified um which will involve in a Butters meeting as well as meeting with the fourpoint neighborhood association um until then as I said we'll defer to the board thank you good morning Madam sharers and members of the board Laura here from conso of Flynn's office at this time he would like to support with the understanding that there is no operator yet however it is our understanding that when an operator has been determined there will be indeed a community process where the neighbors can offer their feedback and quality of life concerns thank you thank you are there any other individuals would like to testify on this matter the board will take this under advisement as well thank you thank you calling item number 15 fajas and Rita Inc doing business as fajitas and Ras located at 25 West Street holder of a common vit or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license has a petition to transfer the license and the location from the above to Parson CC sou opco LLC doing business as common craft located at 85 Dam rail Street prise consists of 7,975 square ft premises located on one floor consisting of 6,3 95 ft of restaurant space which includes a main dining room with seating for approximately 80 bar with seating for approximately 52 two private dining rooms one with seating for 24 one with seating for 38 together with storage kitchen office and restrooms in rear of space a 1,580 foot seasonal patio space on private property with seating for approximately 32 with a patio closing hour of 11:00 p.m. and overall Restaurant closing hour of 1:00 a.m. Lawrence lioz manager and additionally the applicant has petion to pledge the license to Washington Village Phase 1 property owner LLC attorney Nick zazula attorney zazula yes good morning thank you attorney green uh good morning Madame chair members of the board uh attorney Nick coula mcder quilty Miller and Hanley um this uh with me today uh on behalf of Parson's CC selfie opco LLC doing business as common craft is uh Larry libowitz Larry is the LLC manager he's also the proposed uh manager record on this license uh this is at 85 Dam rail Street uh it's located in the Washington the new Washington Village Development uh in the Andrew Square neighborhood of South Boston uh as attorney green uh referen it's just under 8,000 square feet in Total Space uh that includes just about 6,400 square feet of restaurant space uh as well as 1580 Square ft of seasonal patio space which is on private property and that's about 30 that is 32 seats and the proposed closing hour for that is 11: p.m. and an overall proposed uh closing hour of 1:00 a. uh for the overall restaurant um the general theme Madam chair we did submit a presentation with some of these background and concept information but um the highlights are that this is a full service restaurant uh an Associated tap and tasting room a wine bar and kind of a Speak Easy style cocktail bar there would be three custom environments Under One Roof kind of A Mixology room a wine room and then a main dining room kind of common area um as well each environment would have its own DNA so to speak uh unique Design Elements and things like that to really provide a unique concept um the space will also feature a number of custom art installations that will pay homage to the crafts people who work in the restaurant industry hence the name common Craft um and the tools that they have historically used uh in their trades and so what common craft likes to do is bring these trades and stories to the Forefront of the actual restaurant experience uh through design staff education uh event activations marketing uh efforts and the like so not a a traditional kind of cookie cutter restaurant but really a lot of backbone to it so to speak and the restaurant would also create an ongoing slate of activations that would really help kind of bring these uh Crafts People to life uh throughout the year rotating uh to provide the community with kind of unique and fun educational culinary experiences as well um as far as the character and fitness of the applicant uh they've successfully operated common craft in Burlington uh since May of 2022 so over two years now uh they've had no issues or violations at that establishment where they also hold the liquor license uh Mr Liebowitz who's the manager of record as well as the LLC manager uh has over 30 years of Industry experience spans restaurants hotels social and corporate catering uh he's also the coowner of two restaurants in Salem uh bambolina in kesi as well as the owner and operator of common craft uh in Burlington which I just mentioned and I will note that we did also submit in our in our materials uh some security uh details operations training tips compliance Etc uh that go to this finding uh two more items public need uh this type of restaurant in use has been discussed and anticipated uh during the overall Washington Village uh project development which has been going on for several years now uh included in-depth public input review and processing overwhelming public support not not only for the development itself but for these types of vibrant uses in Andrew Square um and I know that the mayor's office will speak to this but we did meet with the Andrew Square civic association uh last month which voted to support the application in the transfer I believe they did submit a letter of support to the board uh first thing this morning so hopefully that Finds Its way into the board's files and then finally uh housekeeping Mr lewitz as the manager of record uh he is a resident of Massachusetts he is a citizen of the United States he's over 21 years of age and he does have expens extensive experience in the restaurant industry uh which I just previously detailed to you all so happy to pause here Madam chair and we're happy to answer any questions that you may have and thank you is the manager record here I'm just trying to find Larry L he uh Madam chair he's top right on my screen of The Brady Bunch but I don't know for your he might but he is here on camera yes all right thank you I think your attorney covered the questions but I'm not sure he got the last one so to make sure I get on the record Mr libowitz are you familiar with the rules and regulations of the board the abcc and the Commonwealth pertaining to the Salem service of alcohol yes I am okay thank you um at this time I have no other questions commissioner C or commissioner Saxon do you I do not thank you none from me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes Madam chair members of the board Conor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's office will defer to the Judgment of this board some background information the community process ons hosted in a Butters meeting in September uh there was just uh one question from residents regarding the hours of operation another Resident did testify in support during that public meeting uh as you heard from the app representation they went on to meet with the Andrew Square civic association which was supportive of this proposal unaware of any concerns at this time with that will defer to the board thank you good morning Madam chairs and members of the board La here from Cil of's office at this time he would like to go and record and support based on a and a good throughout Community process and good faith compromises on the closing hour with neighbors and the Andrew Square neighborhood association the council respectfully requests that the that the team continue to work with the community on any quality of life issues thank you thank you other oh sorry go ahead oh sorry hi madam chair members of the board Haley Dylan from Senator Nick Collins office um Senator Collins is in full support he's worked closely um with the Andrew square and the neighbors and we're excited to have um there is a public need for something like this in that area so thank you thank you very much are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter thank you the board will take this under advisement as well thank you calling item number 16 menjo cport Inc doing business as menjo located at 50 Northern AB holder of a common victual or 7-Day Wines in M beverages license has petitioned to transfer the license and the location from the above to sarva Foods LLC doing business as sarva Cafe located at 279 Newbury Street premise consists of in one room on ground floor consisting of various dining areas bar seating restroom and storage kitchen in rear 3,000 square ft together with a seasonal April to November outdoor patio on private property 12200 square fet with seating for 50 patrons closing hours 12:00 a.m. indoors and 10 p.m. Outdoors bonus tooru manager and secondly as petition to change the classification of the license to a wines and M beverages with Lor's license for pursuance to the authority contained in chapter 481 of the acts of 1993 and finally has petitioned to remove the following conditions from the license those conditions are alcoholic beverages to be served only in conjunction with meals and no bar attorney Dennis quilty attorney quilty good morning again attorney green Madam chair members of the board denn quilty attorney representing the applicant before you this morning for the transfer of his license with us is Mr bonus taru who is uh involved in the ownership and is the proposed manager of record um this uh location was formerly faux real and prior to that Kashmir Indian restaurant Mr tatu's plan is to uh create a modern Indian Cuisine dining experience at this location um they have been open since September 1st with the CV only uh and has been very popular in the neighborhood we have uh we had a on of Butters meeting uh on July 30th there were no issues raised at the meeting and we met with the neighbor Association the Back Bay on August 5th and received a letter of non- opposition from them um I think with that uh we are happy to answer any of your questions Mr Tatu is a US citizen and Mass resident and um is familiar with the rules and regulations of the board in the abcc with regard of the sale and service of alcohol thank you very much thank you for um covering those four questions uh and you said you've been open with CV only since when September 1st okay great um I have no questions at this time commissioner K and commissioner Saxon do you I do not thank you none from me thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes Madam chair members of the board H Newman with the mayor's office of neighborhood services at this time the mayor's office like to defer to the Judgment of this board uh as you heard from the applic representation on as hosting AB Butter's meeting on July 30th uh there was only one AB butter present uh they expressed uh a request uh that the ptio close uh either 10 p.m or earlier uh due to concerns out of noise uh the Alin then went on to meet with the uh neighborhood association of Back Bay in August uh where they received a letter in non opposition um with that would refer to the board at this time thank you good morning Madam chair members of the board uh my name is Anthony with councelor Sharon Durkin um she would just like to go on record and support of the application um she just uh loves to see that Indian food made its way back to Newberry Street and obviously this license would um help continue that success so thank you thank you thank you very much are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter the board will take this under advisement as well thank you very much thank you following item number 17 Mr G's Corner LLC doing business as MD's provisions and Spirits located at 2193 Commonwealth AV in Brighton has applied for a retail package store all alcoholic beverages licens to be exercised on the above a retail package store with first floor of approximately 932 Square ft consisting of a community tasting table dry good store cold storage and a basement of approximately 566 ft for storage with a total square footage of 1,498 s feet manager Amir Khan chowder Closing Time 10m who's present on behalf of the applicant uh good morning secretary Green attorney Joe Hanley mcder quilty Miller and Hanley in uh 28 State Street in Boston shall I begin please thank you secretary green um and um Madam chair members of the board um for this opportunity I am representing uh the proponent uh LLC uh which is proposing to open a a gourmet Provisions smallscale Boutique Market here uh with a package store license uh under the name of Mr G's uh LLC with the DBA of madd's Provisions in spirits I have uh the proposed owner Andrew arbini uh with me I also have the proposed manager of record Amir uh chaty with me as well so just to give you a little background to start um with the location itself um 2193 uh comav and Brighton is at the corner of lake and Commonwealth Avenue on the outbound side of uh Commonwealth AV it is a long existing mixed use retail food and Market type um building with a number of uh other operations Food Service Cafe this space uh that we are seeking to go into uh is the former UPS uh retail outlet store it is small in scale you'll see in the floor plans that we submitted roughly 930 square feet um so the proposal is to uh meet the substantial public need in this part of Brighton uh which has uh lacks sufficient um uh Outlets as is proposed by Mr arbini um we required approval for the use for this and it was approved unanimously by the Zoning Board of appeal on September 24th uh in former in further support of the public need I'd also note that as part of that approval the Boston planning and development agency submitted a written recommendation of support um echoing the appropriateness of this location for this type of concept and noting that there are no liquor stores within the area uh with the closest liquor store being of course a mile away um so what is being proposed here is not um a large scale uh alcohol service um facility what is being proposed is something that will complement the growing population and Brighton in this area uh the residential Community which is towards the back of this site um and to provide a distinct and unique offering that is not otherwise available um Madam chair for the record too we submitted a statement of a public need and compliance with the character and fitness and public need requirements as well as uh the required finding that the board make that this will not negatively impact the operations of a church within our Vic vicinity uh that church is St ignacius which is also in a separate municipality it is in uh the city of Newton it is across the thoroughfare and a bit up the street um towards the BC campus this location is in a local convenience area uh and our public need for this application is also evidenced by uh over approxim imely 30 abing and nearby residents who Express their strong support um for the concept as well as um a vote by the applicable neighborhood Group which overwhelmingly supported this application the Brighton alustin Improvement Association we are uh very aware of the proximity to Boston College we have had the opportunity to study uh Boston colleges liquor service policies and and the like uh this is completely distinct from that the operator um comes from a family which owns this building which lives in the neighborhood and have been stewards uh of this building and active participants of the community so uh one of the things that's really important I think supports the um character and fitness here is the strict alcohol service policies uh which we have worked with Mr arbini and air uh to formulate and adopt um for iding of patrons for using stateof the art scanners but also requiring backup and additional scrutiny scrutiny rather uh all of the staff will be uh tip certified Serve Safe uh both Mr arbini and air are uh up to date with their uh tip certification uh credit cards will be checked against ID for further verification cameras will be used in the store and I think what's important is um and we're willing to have this as a condition on the license if if it's the board's pleasure uh there will be no nips sold there'll be no kegs uh we won't uh be selling lottery or tobacco products and I think what is really important with respect to this location with Boston College a little further away uh is there will be no third-party delivery of alcohol in other words do Dash Uber Eats um in studying the the alcohol Service uh actions and items that we've seen over at Boston College there uh been a series of violations that relate to uh third-party deliveries of alcohol and we think it's important that we not uh be that we be part of the solution and not part of the problem and and so that is something that that will forbid so to get to um the premise itself um the uh and the concept um the idea is to um provide sales and service that is not available in the Brighton Community to meet its population growth of over 10% in accordance with the last census data which continues to expand um to sell kosher wines to sell small batch selections of fine spirits and to pair that with uh Gourmet provision and items that uh folks can walk to come home take home take with them uh and pair for dinner and the like uh at their homes for this growing population uh in this area so in conclusion um our manager of record as required by uh one chapter 138 is uh experienced in in the field of alcohol service again also tip certified Mr arbini has been tip certified um and we would suggest that uh this application squarely fits within the guidelines for the issuance of this package store license uh in an area where the the neighborhood is underserved where we have a a fit and appropriate operation with strict operation policies uh and we have evidence of demonstrated significant Community Support neighborhood group support and uh planning support uh for this existing site which has always been or for quite some time has been a mixed use development so I want to thank you for this opportunity and our team is here to answer any questions uh thank you is where is the manager record Amir are you on yes I'm present oh thank you um thank you for joining us today sir just going to go through our manager record questions yep um are you a citizen yes do you live in Massachusetts yep yes can you explain again for the board what your experiences uh I've grown up around the industry uh through family through formal work I've had I'd say you know 20 years of unofficial experience around the business but also about 12 to 13 years of official experience in the business whether it's um liquor beer and wine tobacco I've worked in Boston for the past seven to eight years working with the local licensing authorities so um it's been pretty extensive um so have you worked in a store in a a license premise where you've been responsible for checking for underage IDs and can you explain a little bit strictly package stores okay any of them close to any college campuses um my parents had one near Harvard University back in the day so okay pretty much the same distance as what Mr G's would be to BU in college okay and the final question is are you familiar with the rules and regulations of the board the abcc and the laws of the Commonwealth pertaining to the sale and service of alcohol yes okay thank you very much for answering those questions and for joining us today so um I do have some questions thank you for outlining the community process um do you want to talk is the do the owners want to talk a little bit about what their concept is or yeah I think that would help thank you and part of this too is the local uh connection uh to a family that's really been a fixture in this part of Brighton and uh for this property so Andrew arbini Andrew why don't you introduce yourself and if you could provide some more details yeah I'd be happy to hi everyone so um my name is Andrew arbini my my grandfather actually started working in this same building um several decades ago um originally within a sandwich shop that specialized in in meatball subs but all kinds of Italian subs um he was working as a manager there before he saved up to uh try and buy the store but um the owner was not willing to sell and so he saved up for a few more years and eventually bought the building and then negotiated with the owner um in order to operate his own sandwich shop which which came to be known as College sub or Mr G's College sub um he's operated a business there for um about 30 plus years before um he passed away and and the the sandwich shop closed down my mother and her three sisters um continued the management of the building and have continued its operation to this day and it has always been a dream of mine um to continue my grandfather's Legacy and and also my mom and my aunt's Legacy of of serving this community and and operating a business on this on this corner um the idea for a gourmet offering like this came from spending time at my aunt's house which is actually the adjacent house to this property um and realizing that there were um very few options to pick up something like craft beers or a nice bottle of wine as a thank you for letting me stay over um and the realization that the community is probably being underserved because of the the the presence of of businesses that Focus towards the college students which is totally fair and understandable but I think it highlighted the issue here which is most of the businesses in the area cater to the college students and I understand why and I think the opportunity to open something that catered more to the growing Community um was something that would both serve the community well but would also be a good business opportunity and an opportunity to continue this family Legacy for me um and as Joe's mentioned we've been very thoughtful about the process we would go through and and the steps we would take to make sure that we are part of the solution and not the problem in the community we are aware of the presence of Boston College and though they sell alcohol on campus and host tailgates on campus we do not feel that that we will contribute to the current environment of underage drinking through our strict iding policy our strict enforcement policy our avoidance of third-party delivery but also I think one of our biggest deterrents will be in being strict in enforcing those policies confiscating fake IDs working closely with the university regardless of their view on our store I think if we are lucky enough to get approval we will have to work with Boston College in order to keep the community safe and and to prevent students from from even attempting to come into the store that being said I also think that what this brings to the community um with a responsible owner and and and someone who's implementing these careful policies this brings a lot to the community too right now someone who's commuting home from work or who is just in need of something for their fridge or for an event they're going to has no walking distance option to pick up a nice bottle of wine or a gift basket or a six-pack of craft beers and I think this would serve that need really nicely and and we will be diligent in order to ensure that this serves the need of the community while not contributing to to any of the um the underage drinking or or negative things that are going on um in proximity to Boston College thank you um thank you for that history and the description I do want to say um in my capacity as director of Mayor's Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing also in this role too we work very closely with Boston College to help them activate oncampus activities including tailgates and you know they do apply for liquor licenses for certain events we work closely with them to help them keep the students on campus so they're not leaving campus to look for you know places they can drink on with you know fake IDs and and and buy alcohol we're trying to help them activate on campus more so that there is less of an attraction for students to go off campus so just saying as I think through this application those are some of the things I keep in mind um and excuse me so you talked about your strict ID policy iding policy can you explain that one more time yes so um right now we compared it to what BC uses at Alumni Stadium um and BC's policy is out ofate IDs might be subject to a second form and and that's pretty much it um they ID all customers and then might check for a second form our policy will be um all all customers are ided second form of ID for anyone um where we have doubts or concerns depending on the age that could be under 40 um we are all going to be tip certified which is not a current requirement but will be a requirement for our store so everyone goes through that training and receives certification which includes keeping a log of all customer interactions that could present issues so anytime you deny service or have concern about a customer um you keep a log of that activity um we'd also use scanning technology so all IDs are going to be scanned regardless of your age and any doubts will result in requesting a second form we also anytime a credit card is used we check that credit card against the ID and then we'll have cameras in the store running constantly um in order to ensure that people kind of match those identifications and then I think um we're hoping to to kind of keep those policies in place but I also I understand your point about keeping college students on campus and and engaging with them in that way I think one of the most important things that I would describe here is I understand the convenience of this location and why a college student might come here um as opposed to going a further distance to a different store uh what I'd like to highlight is that this store being a very small footprint that is focusing on a higher end product and customer um and frankly just the realities of this business we will not have the scale to charge the same price or to even sell a a 30 rack of beer at a competitive price compared to the larger retailers that order massive amounts of inventory this is not the type of store that a college student would be seeking out constantly because we cannot compete with Total Wine and Spirits on price we do not that's what I was gonna ask do you have like a price point a minimum price point in mind or that it's part of your business plan like could you go there and buy a case of Bud Light we were a Bud Light we would avoid anything plastic but in theory we would hope to have cases of of bottles things like Corona um or or higher end items the idea would be that these are higher end beers um that we're selling and and I I would imagine that maybe one fridge could be dedicated to cases but that is something that if if this board deemed would would preclude us from being able to open the store that's something we would be happy to avoid Ju Just I would add too if you look at the floor plan right as I said this is a very narrow small but narrow in long space about 900 square feet certainly not a big box um and half of it is Gourmet Provisions we have a tasting Community tasting uh table so the fact of the matter is you you literally don't have the space for that and and I think it's actually you know from a factual and legal standpoint Madam chair one of the things that we did was review the records of violations and I I know that the the district folks are on the the record of of alcohol violations in Brighton uh and as it relates to BC students um one that that comes glaring out in Brighton Center uh underage at a package store 30 30 packs of natural light uh and and beer balls not sold here right now combined with the strict um policies uh you know that goes right to the point we think to address these types of issues the abcc also did an investigation on a BC's campus and suspended the license of gopuff so we talk about thirdparty deliveries there were 19 counts uh of underage sales by gopuff on Boston College's campus in May of 2023 so just last year one of the things we heard from BC was the concern about deliveries and so we have agreed to make that a part of our condition that there will be zero no third party uh delivery so you know just because we're proposing to have a small um you know Package Store component near a college doesn't mean that uh they are going to be violations I think what is important is what we've done to understand what the problems are and how we can be part of that solution and operate in a way that is responsibly and compliant I will say the first thing we did the community process on this on this case has been extensive we've had a Butters so let me just jump in before we get to community process I just had some followup questions to the floor plan ma all right I just want to get my train thought out um back to um I lost my train of thought there um okay the floor plan this is what I'm looking at um Mr arbini we often we we've had an uh uptick in applications for package stores in other neighborhoods as well especially inth South Boston this board has um continued to ask any new applicant um and any new licy that is or that is issued a license by this board for a package store in let's say South Boston a lot of these you know quick Marts are adding a couple coolers of beer and wine we're asking them to keep a copy of the floor plan on premise so that the police can inspect and the reason why we're asking this is we don't want places to creep Beyond this what you're what you're describing here is like a shakery food market slash compliment wine I understand so what we would ask is that any so I'm looking at your uh floor plan right now one side is kosher and dessert wines the other side is coolers that you're not quite sure what's going in there yet and then the craft beer and local small batch beard so you're saying if permitted the um the glass bottled upscale beers would go in the coolers are yes in some of them but there would also be um meats and cheeses in the coolers as well and then potentially seasonal flowers in in one of them um depending I understand that provision about keeping a floor plan on premise and would be happy to do that I I can understand your concern about the creep Factor yeah let you see should you get a license from this board we would ask that this floor plan include exactly where the um the you know beer larger scale beer is being sold so that should there be um some change to your business model that requires you to shift to other types of um products you would have to come back to this board and get approval for expanding those coolers in such a way that displaces food if that makes sense yeah that do that's fair and then with the um again I have a list of all the package stores in Brighton and it's true the closest one is just under a mile but um it's been my experience as chair of the board the college students aren't aren't walking to go get their cases of beer they're often traveling in packs and one person decides to take the risk and go use their fake ID at such and such a place package store in Brighton Center or this place or that place we have dealt we've been um dealing a lot with those operators and some of them choose not to scanners or some of them choose to use scanners and not update the software and it's a risk everyone takes it's so scanners are not a uh foolproof method to determine whether or not someone is underage so you do it is in your best interest to train your employees the other thing is we had this discussion yesterday with another um much larger scale operator in the city of Boston um as far as out ofate IDs it's very common in this neighborhood they could have whether it's students or parents deciding to buy stuff um and your choice about what you decide to use as a backup ID I strongly recommend that be a picture ID credit cards expired credit cards are often used we see this all the time so again these are risks you're taking as an operator and in this particular neighborhood this board is taking a very hard look at these sorts of things um so when you think through your business plan and your operations plan um think through exactly what gives you the most protection um as far as rules and what you um what you accept as far as IDs there is no excuse that the ID scanner was down or we didn't have enough money to pay for the updated software and it's true that sometimes fake IDs get through but um you need to do what is best for your operations but also all of these things are risks and just to sum up the um floor plan would have to be located at the wherever your license is so that if upon inspection if police come in they can compare it to the description um and then so so all right and then you would I would ask in writing should you be granted a license an explanation of like what those what you've decided to sell as far as those larger you know I don't know what you call them cases of beer okay is it 30 is it 12 is it 18 um we would like to know what is being offered and where that is located on this floor plan um and yes I do know there's been extensive Community process and I appreciate that um yeah it was just Madam chair speaking to that um as it relates to you know the proximity to Boston College so one of the first things that the app applicant did was to reach out to Boston College I know they have concerns I deeply respect those concerns um what we what we intend to do is to send a message early on that this is not the place that college kids are going to be able to get uh any access to underage college students are going to be able to get any access to alcohol and it's not just relying on as you noted um the scanner system um but it's it's the combin ation of all these strict policies and also the investment that uh the greish family of which Andrew is a part uh who are the property owners and who live in this neighborhood and have lived with Boston College as part of their neighborhood for uh Generations as well the other thing I will say uh I know you mentioned you have a list of all the um package stores in Brighton um you know in dealing with the proximity to the Catholic Church St ignatia um if you look at that list you'll see that it's also not uncommon for this board to uh Grant this type of license in very close proximity to places of worship for example Huntington Liquors on Commonwealth Avenue uh is directly beside a park and directly be beside a synagogue um so we very much are mindful of that as well and if you look at our hours of operation we've adjusted them accordingly in particular uh we a much later opening on Sunday so that we're not uh um coinciding with the popular family mass at St ignacius um and so we would suggest that that in addition to a lot of these measures U meets the requirement that we will not have an impact and then finally um you know we are committed to an ongoing uh collaboration with Boston College regardless of their opposition uh Mr arbini takes this very seriously again his family's been in this neighborhood for Generations uh we are a city of neighborhoods not a city of colleges and uh I think you'll hear from the people on this meeting that uh this neighborhood would like a little more local services and a little less University and and that's what we're trying to provide so thank you I'd also like to thank you for that feedback and advice it's something that we are going to be constantly seeking working with local PD local security Boston College and I also think in addition to all of the measures we're taking um a big deterent will be reputation acting on our policies and taking fake IDs confiscating them contacting the proper authorities contacting Boston College if if they deem that necessary we would be happy to engage with them in that way and I I found that from my college experience that type of reputation is an effective deterrent um for underage drinking but it's only effect Ive if if you are constantly diligent and enforcing those policies and that's something we intend to do but I I really appreciate your feedback and advice on that okay those are all my questions uh commissioner Karan would you like to go first uh yes I don't have much uh I just want to build on what the chair has said um I agree with everything she said she said a lot of stuff I've been thinking of as she's been saying it the one last thing I'll advise is uh it's a bit of old school advice um came up more when I was first on the board but um prospective purchasers if you have any doubt about them and say they they're say they're telling you you know I I'm from New Jersey but I live here um they can always be advised that they can go and obtain a Massachusetts liquor ID to go along with their state ID and that will corroborate and and then they'll be welcome in your store but um you know and you need to empower everyone who works for you to to have that to feel like they can say no to the sale even if the person could be over you know 21 they they they have to be more empowered on on the airing on the side of caution than the side of offending someone who actually is O overage of age thank you absolutely no questions at this time thank you so much thank you for members of the general public wishing to testify please do use the raise hand function I'll calling you in the order that you have signed up are there any elected officials or the representatives who would like to provide testimony on this item secretary galin I see you raising your hand thank you very much uh good morning or guess it's almost afternoon thank you again uh William F gelvin I reside at 46 Lake Street so while I am an elected official and indeed have represented this area in the legislature for many years previous to my pre present election I I resided here for 40 years and I know exactly what goes on in this neighborhood my home is houses down from the top of the street where this proposed license would be located I vigorously oppose it fighting underage liquor consumption is a weekly effort on both my part my neighbors and Boston College and I'm pleased that they are opposing this so vigorously because they know as we know the impact it's going to have on our quality of life I want to make a couple of points and I know it's many people wish to speak first of all with regard to the church I have a letter from from father ronsky who is the pastor of stacious Church in which he which is in opposition uh he indicates a package store at the corner of an already congested area open seven days a week would have a detrimental impact on the activities of the church and the surrounding neighborhood so therefore I think that chapter uh 16 C of chapter 138 applies and I think the Board needs to make findings regard to that um regarding the whole process of discussing the implementation of how liqu would be sold with all due respect to Mr arbini Mr arbini is a resident of scotdale New York he does not live in Massachusetts and is not employed in Massachusetts and in the previous hearing on this indicated he had absolutely no experience in the liquor District whatsoever so I would be happy to speak to that well you can maybe later but I just wish to speak the issues that are out there right now so anything that's being said has to be viewed in light of that I do not know Mr Sha's experience but I think obviously would be important let me precisely tell the board what the problem is the problem is going to be people who are over 21 purchasing liquor and then selling it or giving it to underage drinkers that's the problem we confront every single weekend I've got the evidence on my front lawn to prove it uh the idea that somehow you can prevent that is impossible to pick up on on Mr Hanley statements regarding restrictions I would suggest no delivery not just third party delivery no delivery at all secondly I think beyond the issue of nips perhaps pint should be also not sold I also think for instance uh premixed uh drinks for single service especially should not be sold if we accept what they're suggesting I don't but if one were to accept the idea this is going to be a shuder selling kosher wines then I don't think that should be burdensome on their business plan the reality is is that this is a very sensitive area as the chair has asked repeatedly not just on this application but on previous are there other sources of alcohol the air yes there are there are eight licenses and we're not even talking about the Newton licenses that approximate as well Star Market and other licenses on Route n quite close the reality is that people who know the neighborhood the police captain from the district testified the prior hearing on the zoning against it the mayor of Newton who is like 100 feet away has submitted a letter in opposition she's opposed to it I'm opposed to it uh there is no basis for this license coming to describe the uh premises as mixed use doesn't speak to the truth the truth is it's basically a food court for Boston College there are four common victorus licenses located already in that premises IT services college kids almost to the exclusion of everybody else uh so the idea that somehow this is being done without regard to that is is candidly ridiculous um I think that the board owes it to the neighborhood not to approve this I certainly would insist that if the board were to approve it that incorporate some of the conditions that the chair has spoken to and I'll add to them as I've already mentioned pints and other types of products that clearly would be used by individuals and and could be resold or reiven to underage college students um this is not in the best interest of the community is clearly not I'm going to leave it to Boston College and their uh represent Representatives who will speak to identify the particular concerns they have but the idea that you could put this in an inter section where you have a church literally a couple not even a couple hundred feet away and 5,000 dormatory students across the street who who use this facility constantly and not have an impact is ridiculous I hope the board rejects it thank you for your time thank you secretary gvin are there any other elected officials or the representatives who wish to testify before we move to General testimony yes Madam chair members of the board Conor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's office to deferred to the Judgment of this board um background information in the community process on hosted in a Butter's meeting on May 30th I it was well attended uh there was a variety of opinions expressed in that meeting those in support of The Proposal uh cited uh the families ties to the community uh and their moral character uh others spoke in support of the concepts of the business and others also spoke in support regarding uh promises that the proponent made to mitigate potential impacts on the neighborhood uh citing um you know no third party deliveries no kegs Etc um those in opposition and there were certainly voices in opposition on that meeting expressed concerns that this would uh compound existing issues with students uh consuming alcohol on campus and off-campus in the community as well as also delivery issues um contributing to traffic in that area um the applicant went on to meet with the Brighton alustin Improvement Association which voted to support the proposal uh further we received received 18 letters in support uh one from West rockberry uh the overwhelming majority are from the Brighton area um we also received eight letters in opposition uh those include but are not limited to Boston College is one of the direct of Butters across the street as well as the mayor of Newton uh with that information we'll defer to the board any letters that we've received we've forwarded to this licensing board thank you thank you Connor are there any other elected officials or Representatives who wish to testify in this matter uh y go ahead hello my name is Benjamin Toki I the district director for uh state representative and House Majority Leader Michael Moran uh can you hear me we can hear you a thank you um it is the policy of leader Moran to defer to the uh Boston city counselor Liz Braden and the residents of Austin and Brighton on all matters before the city of Boston leader Moran would like to go on the record noting the longstanding and strong ties the proponent family the greish family have with our community the greish family has multi-generation multi-generational connections with Alon and Brighton as both residents and business owners they are highly invested in and generous to our community the high level of community support for this proposal illustrates the confidence that the residents of alustin and Brighton have with this proponent and their trust that this operator will be a responsible member of our local business Community thank you thank you than you very much I will move to members of the public wish to provide testimony I see a hand raised from William Evans you may please provide your testimony yeah good morning uh Madam chairwoman again I represent Boston College uh I know we um spoke about its proximity to the university it literally uh abots our dormitories as well as um residents where our students live I think you know being um here for now six years and being the former captain at in Austin bright in Boston police for nine years I think there's clearly no need there like uh you know secretary galin said there's eight in close proximity and you know obviously I worry about underage drinking I worry about the safety of our students and you know that's when when parents come and leave their child here in August it's my responsibility to make sure they get home safely and I I honestly believe the less liquor stores we have in the area especially uh you know a great majority of our students are underage uh the less we need this liquor store which basically is on almost on our campus I agree the really family I have nothing but respect for them but this this location is um is not a good fit for our University and I obviously I know Tom Katy and others from going to speak but uh it's just unnecessary evil uh putting it there thank you madam chairwoman thank you very much y Mr gy I have seen you raise your hand a few times uh so we'll allow you to speak if you can unmute yourself are we good we can hear you Tom key I'm the vice president of government relations and Community Affairs for Boston College uh Boston College as uh Chief Evans just stated is as a university we are absolutely opposed to the grining of this license we have approximately 9,000 undergraduate students that that attend Boston College and about 5,000 of those students are under the age of 21 we do an awful lot in educating our undergraduate students every year freshman orientation about the use of alcohol in the ramifications if caught using phony IDs having people purchase alcohol and also the and also trying to consume alcohol at our football hockey and basketball games we are very very strict on making sure that anyone buying a beer or a glass of wine is over the age of 21 and if anyone is caught they are sent to the student Court uh where they are dealt with with severe repercussions as they work their way through graduating at BC the there are as Chief Evans just stated there are already eight liquor stores in Brighton Secretary of State galin said not including Newton so let's throw three more into Newton I want to correct Mr Hanley St aa's Church the address is located in Boston not in Newton and this this Jesuit Catholic Church is directly across the street from this proposed location and they have masses on Saturday afternoon and Sunday and Sunday evening it would be a huge mistake for the city of Boston to Grant a liquor store at this location we do we spend annually approximately $90,000 a year on police details for this community we when I came here 23 years ago the number one issue was student Behavior we corrected that over a period of time working with our neighbors we cracked that and we have a a full-time person that works uh from 900 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. if there are any parties or any disturbances in this neighborhood it went 22 years ago to approximately 70 calls a night to less than one or two a month here at Boston College and the chairperson for the licensing uh Cath Joy is correct we have worked very closely with them on our alcohol policy reporting not not once a year but weekly to our football games and the number of illegal uh licenses that are collected by our staff during these games we take underage drinking very seriously at BC we ask this is not the right fit for this store the grish family a great family they are part of the Boston College Community graduates of BC I just think that this is a a a mistake in thinking that BC students are not going to try to go in there and and and purchase alcohol it's just a mistake we deal with it every week I have Bill Mills I Community Affairs person Steve Montgomery Bill Evans we meet weekly on student behavior issues and one of the biggest issues is illegal drinking in the Austin Brighton Community so with that I know there are two or three other representatives from BC that are going to also ask to speak in opposition thank you and we will get to them all in the order that hands are raised um just a Remer to please keep testimony to two minutes or under we have a very packed agenda this morning afternoon now uh and any additional testimony can of course be submitted to licensing board at boston.gov the board does have BC's opposition letter on file the next hand that I see raised is from Annabelle Gomes uh Miss Gomes you may please provide your testimony and unmute yourself to do so you'll have two minutes Madam chair members of the board Annabella Gomes zoning chair for the Brighton Austin Improvement Association the Brighton Austin Improvement assoc assciation held a meeting where over 20 members of the community directly affected by this location attended specifically for that in support and the Bia voted to support uh this proposal I myself am a director butter as my office is next door to this proposed location and I live right off of Lake Street within walking distance I would be concerned if it was a different operator I do have full trust in this operator and this family as they have shown responsibility to the community in the past and have been responsible cleaning up after football games everything they have shown that they can be a responsible operator for this it is a small space and um I do not think that it will affect uh the students if it is operated properly if it is not they should lose their license and it should be revoked and I do request that the license be to this operator only and not transferable um and I do not see it impacting the community harmfully uh with this operator in place thank you thank you very much the next hand I see raised is from ariela Helman Miss Helman uh you may please provide your testimony you'll have two minutes to do so starting now thank you so much um so I speak today in support of the operator I really appreciate hearing the plans um you know to make sure that um everyone in the neighborhood is going to be that we're going to ensure the safety of everyone in the neighborhood um I speak on behalf of the Orthodox Jewish community in Brighton and we particularly appreciate that this um operator plans to send sell kosher Wines and Liquors um and ensure that everyone in the diverse community of Austin Brighton um can benefit from this store so thank you very much thank you very much for your testimony um the final hand that I see raised is from Dr Shauna Cooper Whitehead uh you may please provide your testimony I'll have two minutes thank you madam chair and secretary green um my name is Shauna Cooper Whitehead I am the vice president for student affairs at Boston College and I Echo um Boston College's opposition to the development of this establishment um I Echo you know Secretary of State galvin's you know comments about 5,000 of our students are under the age of 21 it's about access I would also come to you as a mother and seeing these students um having this access to this alcohol um given the Mental Health crisis that we're seeing across the country and globally um substance misuse is one of the highest cases of adolescent Behavior they tend to go towards substance misuse and making these substances more accessible will only exacerbate the problem as my colleagues have outlined for all of you you know we work really really hard to educate our students work with our neighborhoods work with our neighbors to ensure an ongoing relationship and I think that the establishment of this facility would make it worse um I've seen the aftermath of football games and weekends and our teams work really diligently with the Boston Police Department to you know ensure the safety of our neighbors and of our students and I remain concerned as an individual and as I mentioned as a parent who sees the effects and impacts of students misusing substances the access of this is the biggest challenge I'd like to think of of Boston not only as a city of neighborhoods but also a neighborhood that Embraces the UN City community that helps support you know the economic development of our city so I don't think it's an either or I think it's an and and I appreciate you uh giving me this time to share my significant concerns and opposition thank you very much for your testimony uh there is one more hand raised from a William Mills Mr Mills you will also have two minutes to provide your testimony good thank you uh my name is Bill Mills I'm a lifelong resident of Boston I live in West Arbury and I'm also an employee at Boston College I'd like to oppose this um proposed liquor store at this location I've been at Boston College for 37 years now and when I first came here it was just a a a a mess over here in the community because of the alcohol and the liquor stores and the whole bit um we worked very hard over those years where now it's a kind of controlled kind of thing here you know that um you know the behavior isn't like it was 30 6 37 years ago and I think you heard the former police commissioner Bill Evans talk about that when he was the captain here and he was one of the biggest proponents about getting the colleges in line um there are other stores that are in the area that are less than a mile away it's not like we need a liquor store on every corner I mean Oak Square Liquors is is you know under a mile you've got the 7-Eleven up in Oak Oak Square there you know that is is one mile from you know the proponent um proposed liquor store there and then you've got the Gourmet and and and seller wine store that sells Specialty Foods chuder cheese breads um so that is also a mile away um so with that in mind I mean it's just an inappropriate place to put uh a package store you know where you know I actually get a lot of the complaints and and you know I I work closely with Sant Gallagher you know bringing these issues when we find out where they're going and all of these proponents come in with the greatest of intention of having a a a a MREs if there's a final Point you'd like to make otherwise so the final point is most of these places you know they come in with the great idea that they're going to you know serve the community they're gonna and it doesn't work out that way and they wind up going you know and going the other way and serving underage students and that's when the problems continue but thank you thank you very much are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter who have not yet done so yes thank you uh on behalf of uh Captain Lanchester this is Sergeant McMahon speaking from the community service office district 14 the captain was at traning today so I'm going to read a statement that uh is from Captain Lanchester district 14 as the district commander of district 14 Austin Brighton I am responsible for the public safety and police services in this this District I am here to voice the police department's long stance of not supporting the addition or expansion of Lial licenses a lot number of our calls for service in district 14 involve alcohol in one form or another in particular in the area of licenses being requested today we antici anticipate additional calls and requests for services which will spread our resources even thinner than they already are thank you that's all I have thank you very much are there any other individuals who wish to testify in this matter who have not yet done so uh attorney Hanley are there any uh additional statements you'd like to make following the testimony yeah thank you and and it looks like Mr Katy's not finished but I would you allow me to conclude or do you want to hear again from Boston College chairman Joyce so would you like to allow Mr key to provide additional testimony unmute there there is someone else who's trying to get on uh a neighbor resident uh who's just trying to he's he called in on his phone uh okay there there is nobody in the waiting room and if there any is anyone trying to a couple phone numbers themselves H Robie hello my name is Robert scan I'm a resident in Brighton I live on bre now I I oppose this because uh there's a liquor store already at the bottom of my hill and there one a few feet away from that so I work at Boston College and I don't think it's a great idea to have a liquor store across the street from my college where obviously there's a lot of problems with underage drinking but uh I I understand that like they want to try to do something like that but it's I honestly believe that at the underage drinking will pick up tremendously in our neighborhood uh so I'm really like opposed to this I think there's plenty of liquor stores already in Brighton and uh I also believe that across the street from a church I know they said that they were going to open up later on Sundays and stuff but still I think opening a liquor store across the street from a church would not be a great idea so again I oppose this and uh thank you very much for letting me speak thank you thank you uh all right sorry attorney Hanley back to you thank you um secretary green Madam chair I and and I want to thank uh uh all the employees and staff for Boston College uh for their input I ju Just I I think that there is a shared concern here and there's a way that this very small very well-run neighborhood catering uh operation uh can strike that balance and just to pick up on W what Mr Mills said um you know 30 years ago uh this part of Brighton was very different um if we go back that far uh we only need to go 10 years back in the census to see uh that there has been a significant population growth and that isn't just students that is residents uh of Brighton and of the city who this board has heard from in overwhelming support when compared to the opposition uh also represented uh by The Neighborhood group and I will say with with regard to the process um was mentioned about a finding of St ignasius in the church uh and that they're opposed um my office I have never been provided with any corresponden you heard from Neighborhood Services uh who did not mention this opposition letter uh we had a publicly noticed abutters meeting where we flyed the church uh we had a meeting with the baia we had a publicly noticed Zoning Board hearing where the church received notice uh and at no time uh had we had any opportunity or heard anything from them and I think this is a little bit of what's happened um we did reach out to BC there were some meetings that we weren't invited to but what I can say is if uh with these conditions uh if this operator uh is given a chance that we will continue to reach out uh and I agree with Dr Whitehead it's about access it's about access and with regard to that church and and Mr Katy um brought this up I did not know that they have Saturday masses and of course you have Saturday football games and you have tailgate with alcohol and the former St Ignatius parking lot as well so there's there's got to be a way that we can look at this uh from a balance standpoint I will tell you that access uh is our primary concern and that's why you heard from Mr arbini and why we've worked so closely with him to make sure that uh these protocols and operation measures uh will be put in place in order to ensure that we're operating in compliance um and and just to speak to uh secretary galman who I deeply respect uh we would be uh agreeable to your request of of no deliveries we don't intend to deliver alcohol in the neighborhood this is very small scale uh and I I deeply respect Chief Evans as well uh but if we don't have resource our es for 500 square feet of kosher wine and cheese uh than we're doing something wrong in a big city uh especially when they're operating procedures policies in place and we're going to be working so closely with the neighborhood I would also say to resources as the chair know this board has a licensed premise unit that is funded in separate from um from the district police um and so it is with that final thing I would say is the the finding for chapter 138 for public need is is not um not just about well is they're a liquor store a mile away and the stores that Mr Mills referenced are in different neighborhoods of the neighborhood like goats quare um Mr Galvin uh mentioned Star Market and Chestnut Hill that's almost three and a half miles away um but what it also means is are you providing something distinct are you providing a product that um local residents uh are underserved for and that's exactly what this is about if you read the BPD planning recommendation of the appropriateness of this location and this concept it's to enhance walkability to a vibrant long-existing mixed use uh building and to provide some neighbors that yes uh do respect and and do live near a university but also live in their own residential community and have spoken loud and clear that they think this is uh something that there is a huge public need for so in conclusion you know Madam chair again I thank Boston College its Representatives uh but I also thank all of the Neighbors in Brighton uh who have been waiting for something like this and the neighborhood group and others uh who have supported this and I can Pledge on behalf of my client that we will continue to work not just with the supporters and the residents but also uh continue to reach our hand out across uh Commonwealth AV to Boston College uh as they uh deal with their own issues over there so thank you thank you following that are there any uh final questions from uh the board with that uh I I do see Mr KY raising his hand again uh chairman Joyce are we allowing further testimony on this item or moving on you're on mute Tom if you can make it two seconds because I need we have seven more app and I needak there are no uh masses during the fall at 4M if football is played the uh church does not have mass on football game days I just want to make that okay thank you thank you there is a hand raised this will be the final testimony on this item PW you may provide your testimony you have two minutes yeah hi my name is Paul whiter I live on onine road I've been there for about 20 years H and I'm in support of this for the Neighbors I know they keep mention that 20 years ago things were differently well 20 years ago there were no dorms across from this location 20 years ago the AR is next door used to belong to a different entity that was not Boston College Boston College has keep expanding into the neighborhoods and bringing everything closer to us what I would say is this is the city of Boston the city of Boston if you cannot have something that is close to an institution a door a place of worship we end up with all the liers sours located in the same location like we have in O square and the other ones that were mentioned thank you thank you very much there are no further individuals seeking to testify then the board will take this matter under advisement thank you very much thank you all uh the board will take a brief five minute recess before reconvening to cover the remaining seven items on this agenda uh I will pause uh the recording currently and we will resume at 12:50 p.m. thank you thank you all uh we are resuming with item number 18 calling dtda Enterprises Inc doing business as Danto edonia arapa located at 403a Center Street in Jamaica plane has applied for a common vial or 7-Day wines and M beverages license to be exercised on the above 1,440 foot restaurant space on one floor with dining area with seating for 45 in the left side of the space ordering counter and display on right side of space kitchen two restrooms and storage in the rear of space one entrance three exits manager Joel Marte Closing Time 11m who's present on behalf of the applicant um good afternoon everyone uh yes I'm H I'm a presid great thank you very much if you could please uh identify yourself and then uh briefly present the proposed Concepts to the board sure um so my name is Wong I'm the president dtda Enterprises doing business as um don't Dona joining me in person is um my wife um Nikki uh co-founder also joining us virtually is Joel Marte who will be the manager of record uh Joel has about three years of experience in the food and beverage industry he's a resident of Massachusetts citizens of the US um and is familiar with the rules and regulations of the city of Boston licensing board and the abcc um we are a uh family ran small business located in Jamaica plane uh one of two locations um ATA we offer um authentic Venezuelan Foods prepared on site such ASAS teos cachapas um we also include a variety of um gluten-free vegan and vegetarian options um as one of the very few Venezuelan establishments in Boston we look to add um more conen diversity to the JAMA plane area um we strongly believe beer and wine um as an additive would um enhance our um our client's experience um with our food um as a stamp of approval it's the outpouring of support we received from the community in just a couple of days um with um um petition list we had over 200 signatures and that was provided to the board board um we also had support from local organizations and businesses such as the hide Square task force and um no LLC um as I stated earlier um we look at have diversity to the um available cines in Jamaica plan and um with the um option of Beering one I think that would um fulfill the need thank you very much um thank you for joining us today that was a really good explanation um Mr is it Marte I'm sorry if I pronounced your name wrong oh Juan Juan no the manager of record uh that would be Joel okay Joel what is your experience um I know you have experience but could you give us a little bit more context about what your experience is in the food and beverage industry yeah I was basically the for the restaurant the a chef at a restaurant staff manager staff manager in in Boston cor did you say Boston yeah correct in Boston yes um for how long and where was the restaurant about years at um the location hillo restaurant in BL Hill and did that restaurant serve alcohol it did no it did not okay um and so you were there for a number of years okay um and I'm sorry this I know it's a new application for a beer and wine license are you currently open and operating as a restaurant just with just food yes we are yeah okay and how long have you been open and operating um so at this new location on Center Street we've been we opened in um like mid July i' would say good okay so just about three or four months now yeah great um thank you I don't think I have any more questions right now um commissioner carer commissioner Saxon do you um not at this time thank you no questions thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes madame chair members of the board Connor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's off to defer to the Judgment of this board on as hosted in a Butter's meeting on um sorry August 15th I believe excuse me uh October 15th um it was lightly attended our office is unaware of any concerns at this time uh we directed The appan to reach out to the Jamaica plan neighborhood council's uh Public Service committee um we understand that there was letters to support forwarded to the board uh we don't have access to that but with that we'll defer thank you thank you I do see a hand raised from Michael Riskin you may please provide your testimony sorry Mr rkin I just have a couple more questions if you just don't if you mind um I'm sorry to interrupt but um I'm looking at the description it says there's an ordering counter and a display on the right side so do you have uh sit down service or is it go to the counter and then sit down yeah so we have um uh we also offer sit down service we have capacity for about um 45 um patrons but is it a concept where you come in and there a waitress or a waiter that takes your order and delivers the food and the drink or is it self so um um uh if we are granted a license and we're able to acquire one we would um be shifting our current concept to um waiter um attending at the desk but currently it's um you order at the counter and then we um we serve the food at at the tables uh someone brings the food to the table yes yeah okay so you would just add a server to like take the order and deliver as well yes okay thank you for clearing that up I'm sorry to interrupt um that's my L question thank you Mr rice can you may proceed oh my name is Michael Riskin I live at 425 South Huntington Avenue Jamaica plane member of the Jamaica plane neighborhood Council and shareff its Public Service committee uh we had a public uh neighborhood hearing on this issue via zoom on October 1st and we'd like to support the uh request of ddta for the uh beer and wine license at this uh location uh this is in the heart of Hyde Square um been open for about 2 months uh as he said it uh does have sit down you order at the counter and then all food is served to the tables presently um this is an expansion of his long-standing restaurant with a CV only uh on Blue Hill Avenue so he does have experience um since this has been um operating with a CV only there was no Community process for uh this pre viously licensed location but um we did discuss uh with the beer and wine about the takeout and thirdparty deliveries because that's become common uh there is a uh um uh 15minute uh zone right in front of the restaurant with I think six to eight spaces uh and there are almost always uh some uh Open Spaces I've never seen it completely full so third party deliveries uh for food are actually appropriate uh in this location and we discuss that uh we'd like to support this um probably neighborhood restricted license for Dono Don Dona at 403a Center Street um when we did discuss it it um it was leafleted and uh we're uh supporting a 10 pm closing I was a little surprised to see the 11 pm uh request thank you thank you very much are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter any further questions from the board following a testimony seeing none the board will take this under advisement thank you great thank you for your time calling item number 19 Dominican kitchen Inc doing business as la parata Kitchen located at 3094 Washington Street in Roxberry has applied for a common Vel or 7day wines and MTH beverages with the Kors license to be exercised on the above restaurant space located on the ground floor of a single story building consisting of 2400 Square ft with seating area kitchen rest and storage with one means of Ingress and two means of egress and additional storage in the basement manager Yan Pena Closing Time 11 p.m. who's present on behalf of the applicant yes I'm Jonathan P Pres present great thank you very much for being with us if you could please uh present your proposed concept to the board thank you attorney green and thank you Madame chair and members of the board I appreciate the opportunity to be here today uh as I stated before my name is Jonathan Peña founder and operator of La Parada Dominican kitchen we serve ethnic Dominican Fu we open our establishment uh in during the pandemic 2020 our restaurant has uh been uh well liked and embraced by the community um as a partner in making our neighborhood a great place for all I also want to state that I am a former Egon Square resident and currently uh living in Rosendale I'm a proud American citizen of this great nation and as a testament to our commitment to make our Comm Community better we were recently recognized by Boston Main Street Foundation as business of the year um and also uh this past week we were also recognized um by our state center Senate um with the award of uh the Black and Latino Excellence award um our restaurant is um currently has a license a CV only license for uh 18 patrons um and we have a counter that serves the the food um we are not proposing to make any other changes to our structure uh and layout of the restaurant um we will just um have room for the be years in wine in the back counter in the back of the counter if you have any questions I'm open for more clarification thank you um you covered the first three manager record questions so just to get on the record the final and fourth one are you familiar with the rules and regulations of this board the abcc and the laws of the Commonwealth pertaining to the sale and service of alcohol great question Madame chair I have been educating myself on that regards uh since initially I did not foree us you know having a beer and wi license at the time that we could couldn't afford one and I have not been certified um for uh the regulations and or trained through the regulation however I have a background over 20 years working in a Biotech Industry where I'm very well aware of regulations and and rules and I believe that getting myself trained and my staff we will be a great fit for the a neighborhood and providing a a service that is we see it as a need in in our neighborhood since there are not any other restaurant with sit down that can provide um beer and wine okay thank you I'm taking a look at your floor plan and excuse me I see that you come in the front door there's a cash register and then there's like hot food tables correct so how many how many um chairs and tables will there be we will obey by the the curent um 18 okay I missed that I'm not seeking to add more yeah you I you have it yeah you did say that and I have it in my notes sorry about that no it's okay so um you'll check IDs at the cash register correct uh we will not have [Music] a a way where customers will order food is basically they need to order the food first and if they want beer they will provide that to the server that information and we will check their IDs at the the time when beer is requested okay all right thank you um I don't have any other questions commissioner ker commissioner Saxon no questions for me thank you none from me thank you thank you are there any individuals first hand are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives attorney green if I may ask you know I want I would like to share that we have gone through the community process although we politely asked for the board to defer voting on this proposal since logistically we couldn't meet with the EG Square neighborhood association in time for this meeting and the Jamaica plane neighborhood Council however we are on their agenda for meeting with them this Monday this upcoming Monday in Tuesday great if you could um after that meeting if you could follow up with our office us um and let us know how the meeting went that would be helpful thank you thank you thank you very much for that that's very helpful um Connor I believe you were about to testify on behalf of ons yes thank you uh Conor Newman with the mayor office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's office will defer to the Judgment of this board uh as you heard from the applicant uh they have gone through some of the community process as stated uh they're going to be meeting with the Civic component uh next week and should be taking care of that and our office will also communicate uh what we hear uh we hosted an AB Butters meeting it was lightly attended there was a resident on that expressed support uh for the proposal uh we're unaware of any particular concerns right now and uh we're fully confident that they will uh fulfill their uh Community process next week thank you thank you very much are there any other elected officials or Representatives who wish to testify before we move to General testimony okay thank you the first hand I see raised is from Nick K uh Nick you can please unmute yourself and provide your testimony uh thank you to the chair and to the board for allowing me to speak today my name is Nick Corin and I'd like to go on the record and support of this applicant as you've heard La Pata is a community Centric micro business whose owner Jonathan is from the neighborhood continually contributing to and engaging with the community here part of the fabric of Egon square and has repeatedly shown an upstanding reputation character and fitness as an operator and as a neighbor moreover there's a clear public need as laara will be the only sitdown restaurant with uh beer and wine service in eglon square on a personal note I love having this restaurant a short walk for my apartment and I look forward to them having additional offerings I encourage the board to consider this application not only among the December cohort of zip code restricted licenses but on its own Merit for a Roxberry neighborhood restricted license thank you for your time thank you very much uh Michael rice can you are the next hand raised you may please provide your testimony as well my name is uh Michael Riskin I live at 425 South Huntington Avenue in Jamaica plane a member of the Jamaica plane neor Council and chair of its Public Service committee we have a uh community meeting scheduled for next Tuesday November 5th and the the applicant is also planning to go to the eglon square neighborhood association the day before on Monday so we ask that you defer any decision on this issue until after then I would say that Mr Pena is a longtime uh business owner at this location with the CV only one of the most active business people in the egleson square area and has recently bought a second restaurant directly across the street in Egleston Square so very Community oriented thank you thank you very much are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter seeing on the board will take this under advisement as well thank you very much calling item number 20 easty Cafe delport Inc doing business as Cafe delport easty located at 973 Saratoga Street in East Boston has applied for a common vit or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages licens to be exercised on the above Cafe with 1,20 square fet which will have a walkup counter to order as well as an additional prep area there will be two seating areas one in the front with seating for 14 people one in the back with seating for 10 people basement space will be used for dry storage only manager myin Spencer Closing Time 11: p.m. who's present on behalf of the applicant I am Myan Spencer thank you Mr Spencer thank you for being with us um if you could please uh briefly outline the proposed concept of the board absolutely U good afternoon everyone Ian Spencer owner and operator of Cafe delport uh it's a family run business um we have another location in the North End uh we've been there for roughly 35 years so extensive knowledge in the business um I also operate uh another restaurant in Boston pots on Porter which has a full liquor license so I'm very well versed uh in how to operate restaurants with liquor licenses this location will be located 973 uh Saratoga Street um we feel that there's a need for a cafe in particular in the area as well as a a concept unique like this for East Boston um we would be doing similar concept that we do in the North End which would be a European style Cafe with a walkup counter um we do we will plan on having um cable service as well in the evenings hours of operation would be um 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. with um the liquor license uh being in use from 11: to 11: obviously early in the morning we'd be serving coffee pastry and that sort of fear um some food and pastry in the evening as well espresso martini and that kind of uh that kind of coils um other than that um open for questions thank you um are you already An approved manager record in the for your uh no I have an application uh pending all right I'm GNA go through the questions are you a citizen yes are you a resident of Massachusetts yes you've already described your experience um are you familiar with the rules and regulations of this board the abcc and the laws of the Commonwealth pertaining to the sale and service of alcohol yes I am okay and it's the two family right next to the funeral home is that where it's going yes okay um all right I have no questions commissioner car and commissioner Saxon no questions for me thank you none for me thank you thank you are there any uh individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their represent lives yes madame chair members of the board Conor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's office to defer to the Judgment of this board some background information on the community process on hosted an AB Butter's meeting on October 7th the applicant then went on to meet with the Orient Heights neighborhood Council which voted to support this proposal with that we'll defer to the board at this time thank you thank you are there any other elected officials or there Representatives who wish to testify on this matter hi good afternoon this is from Senator Edwards I would like to testify on behalf of of this applicant in support in fully support for for his uh Lial license application thank you very much good afternoon Madame chair members of the board Sebastian par from councelor kata's Office the council would like to go and support this project thank you thank you are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement as well thank you thank you have a good day you too calling item number 21 Angela Cafe 2 Inc doing business as Angela Cafe located at 1012 Bennington Street in East Boston has applied for a common vit or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license to be exercised on the above approximately 5,610 Square ft total approximately 2700 sare F feet in one main room on first floor with main dining area seating and bar seating for seven Kitchen in rear approximately 2700 square foot of storage in the basement 210t seasonal outdoor seating April to OCT October on a public 137 ft and private 73 FT Property with seating for 12 same hours as inside manager Exel Garcia Closing Time 12: a attorney Kristen scanland attorney scanland good afternoon Madam chair members of the board attorney green uh Kristen scanland representing the applicant signed on with us today are Joel and XEL Garcia father daughter uh Duo Joel owns um Angela Cafe at 1012 Bennington Street in East Boston and just um by way of background xshell is the proposed manager of record she is a US citizen Massachusetts resident um has worked um along with her father for the past 10 years at this location and is familiar with the rules and regulations as it relates to the service and sale of alcohol um Angela's Cafe in East Boston is a very popular neighborhood establishment serving authentic and homemade Mexican food um this application before you this afternoon is for a new all beverages license they are a current beer wine and cordials license holder at this location where they've been open in Orient Heights for approximately nine years uh they also have another location in Eagle Hill which they've had a little longer for about 16 years they have a beer wine and cordio's license um over there for the past 14 years as well um at both they've been exemplary lenes with no issues to speak of um in either one of these locations um by way of background Joel he's been in the business much his whole life for the past 30 years he used to work um for different restaurants and hotels before opening his own and as I mentioned his daughter xshell has worked um on and off with him for the past 10 years running the restaurants the only change requested um for their current business is the inclusion of spirits nothing else would change at the restaurant everything that was read in the legal description would remain the same um namely the number of seats which is 54 with only six seat seats at a um small quaint bar and they also have 12 seats on a patio which was already established at the business when they initially took it over uh the hours of operation right now are Sunday through Monday 8: to 3 and Tuesday through Saturday to um uh from 8 till usually 9 or 10 every day the liquor license right now is technically till 12:00 a.m. um sometimes they close a little later but they happen to just close a little earlier the majority of the time um just depending on how busy or not busy the the restaurant is in the later hours they serve breakfast lunch and dinner every day in this location and breakfast is served every day there until 3 pm as well um one of the leading reasons they're seeking the new licenses due to the fact that their customers have repeatedly asked for certain Tequilas and mezcals which they currently do not and obviously cannot carry with their existing license they want to add these new items which would include um of the Mescal and Tequilas along with other options in order to create drinks for these specific spirits and really expand their offerings and round out the true authentic experience um with the existing menu items that are offered the majority of people who visit the restaurant are coming with the intent to sit down and eat at this family oriented and affordable restaurant as mentioned it is limited bar seating so the focus is truly on people sitting down to dine in with their family and friends um um within the Orient Heights neighborhood of East Boston there are a lot of fast casual and takeout restaurants but really Limited at this time for dine in and sit down restaurant options in this area of the neighborhood um there's only one other nearby restaurant that provides um dine in um Mexican Fair as an option which is also mixed in with a Salvadorian influence so it's a bit distinct from what Angeles currently offers the neighborhoods uh or the neighborhood excuse me um there are a couple restaurants um within walking distance that do have all alcohol licenses but they serve totally different food with different concepts one is Lunas which serves Italian and Latin food um they do have Renegades next door which is a completely different concept menu experience and really the focus over there is um on a neighborhood bar um and another restaurant nearby that serves Colombian food so um Angela certainly rounds out the the type of food off offering within the neighborhood I would think with um once we get through this hopefully character and fitness isn't in question um by the board their reputation certainly precedes them as mentioned since they've owned this business and the one in Eagle Hill they've been exemplary lienes and separate and apart from their food and atmosphere being incredibly popular with the local neighborhood they're not just a restaurant but really an integral part of the community since they've been there over the years uh they've provided endless amounts of Time food food donations and even the restaurant space itself for meetings to dozens of local youth sport leagues elected officials elementary schools high schools and colleges business local businesses and local health organizations they've always been highly responsive to the needs of the neighborhood and firmly believe that everyone should do uh what they can to lift their neighbors up which they humbly do time and time again separate and apart from that uh and to speak to the um caliber of their food off offerings they've previously been featured on the popular D Diners Drive-Ins and Dives uh show on the Food Network with guy Fier they've also been featured um several times in Boston magazine Phantom Gourmet zag dining guide and other local features over the years since they've been open and uh they have a near five star rating with well over a thousand votes on Google uh just that speaks to the overall character of of what they serve who they are and the the type of people you're greeted with when you come to dine into the restaurant as far as Community process is concerned we did meet with the Orient Heights neighborhood Council back in September which was um they were supportive we also had an abutters meeting sponsored by the mayor's office of neighborhood services that was lightly attended but we had an immediate a butter login to say she was in full support um I know the board's in receed of upward of 40 support letters including from local elected officials including um State Rep uh Moo's office and councelor Keta zata as well uh last and a large it Bears mentioning a large part of the timing of this application is of course due to the legislation that recently passed creating new licenses for the city of Boston um based on the business owners themselves the size of the restaurant the uniqueness of the offerings and location we would submit that this is is exactly the type of business contemplated by the legislation when they took over this uh location in 2016 part of that purchase of the restaurant was the existing license that they have now which is an unrestricted wine malt and cordials license as the board is well aware these um unrestricted licenses carry value and since they've had the privilege of being a license holder they've also been able to use the business asset for necessary collateral for various improvements over the years at the restaurant the license value in and up itself is oftentimes the most important asset of the restaurant not only for operations but for Value in the event of a future sale as well I mentioned this cuz looking back at the 2014 legislation one of the main unintended consequences I think we saw was the lack of delineation of licenses to specific neighborhoods resulting in certain neighborhoods reaping more of the benefit of those licenses than others who were also intended beneficiaries simply due to the timing and ripeness in that point in history for neighborhood Redevelopment and revitalization this is one of the points that this new legislation has now reflected and revised accordingly so that there's presumably more equitable distribution um as part of the new legislation we know the board is tasked with deciding who is eligible not only for restricted licenses and the zip codes contemplated by that legislation but also unrestricted licenses that presumably can go anywhere in the city um despite the fact that this applicant could otherwise be eligible under the legislation for a restricted license we would respectfully ask the board to consider their eligibility as well for an unrestricted license should the board vote to approve a license for this applicant due to the fact that we know they may be asked to surrender their existing unrestricted license that does carry value which would then be turned into the board which eventually and presumably would go to another business who would then benefit from that value so uh we would simply ask that at a minimum we be considered for an unrestricted license during deliberations and that just because they could be eligible for a restricted license given their zip code doesn't otherwise eliminate them from consideration for an unrestricted license given their current lur we believe that regardless of their location they are again the exact type of business contemplated by the legislation if their business happen to be in located in another zip code not otherwise contemplated um appreciate your time and kind of getting through that explanation but wanted to get that on the record and and definitely ask for the board's consideration with that thank you attorney and thank you to Mr and Mrs Garcia for hanging in here with us I know you've been on since 10 a.m. um my only question is should there not be an unrestricted license that the board thinks should qualify for would you turn in your unrestricted say that again sorry if you were granted a restricted I'm sorry if you were granted a restricted like a zip code restricted license all alcohol would you turn in your unrestricted I think if they were required to do so versus selling it it's something they you know would want to discuss before making a finalis yeah that's fair um I just wanted to make sure I asked that question on the record sure [Music] um okay H thank you all very much commissioner K and commissioner Saxon do you have any questions um um I just want to be clear um if you got if you got one that was value in the open market would you turn in your valuable license yes I think that's kind of the request that it's an exchange of value for Value yeah right do you think we should expect you to turn in in if you were getting one that didn't have market value I think perhaps the option should be there for them to sell um the asset I know you pay money for it in the open market right right yeah um I just I'm you know I know this is kind of the first go around with this new legislation and the board probably hasn't even decided how you're how you're going to deal with these depending on the influx we haven't deliberated on right um I think I'm te I think I'm telegraphing how I'm seeing it initially here so I just you know wanted to get your comments on that that that you did you did pay for you you have it you you probably have a a loan on it right is it what's the state of it is it um collateral on a loan or anything like that Joel is it current is it currently use as collateral you have used it and obviously could potentially use it again should there be further improvements at the restaurant no we're not currently using it for cardo um if we do plan on making future changes to the restaurant it we would consider it um but currently we don't have any plans to change the restaurant but it has been useful for us in the past and we expect it to be useful again in the future as well and uh I guess I don't need an exact number but you I'm assuming you didn't buy it that long ago right I'm assuming you paid a substantial sum for it it's about nine years ago in in well in 2016 right Joel and part of overall restaurant sale at that location yes okay at the time was it value did you did you determine the value of it as opposed to all the other things you buying I would say probably like it was about 120 but because I buy the whole team together with the business so that was included on the price of the business yeah okay which like uh well I cannot disclose that amount but is about 120 the price of on the market of the be and wine yeah okay um May maybe attorney scalan you want to supplement with like what they were going for at the time maybe adjust it for inflation you know kind of sure give us some insight into the market of what they might be giving up if we were considering that sure thank you no questions from me thank you I actually want to um pick up where Commissioner Karen just left off because it's something again this is Uncharted Territory for us and we never know I we try to ask when we get applications for pledges what the pledge is going to be used for would you be able to tell us I know there's a 2016 pledge which according to our records hasn't been released yet but could you describe for the board what exactly that license was pledged for was it to put improvements into the business was it to expand get new equipment just show us how it's worked for you in the past when we ask for the loan uh when we ask for the when we use for collateral yeah when you got the loan what did you do with that money was it help did it help you expand the restaurant or renovate it yes it was Al loan from Sant and there yes we use it for uh to buy the restaurant and do some uh Corrections on the restaurants okay that's uh helpful information yeah any further questions from the board before we move to testimony are there any individuals who would like to testify beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes madame chair members of the board Conor Newman with the mayor's office of neighborhood services at this time the mayor is OB like to defer to the Judgment of this board uh on had hosted a Butter's meeting on August 22nd unaware of any concerns at this time they went on to meet with the Orient Heights neighborhood association um in midep um I believe there were some questions regarding the patio but the Civic was supportive thank you good afternoon Madam chair members of the board Sebastian power from councilor col office the councelor would like to go and support this project thank you good afternoon chairman chair and uh VAR of the members of the board um Senator edas would like to be recorded as full in support of this application as well thank you very much I see a hand raised from a Gail Miller Miss Miller uh you will have two minutes to provide your testimony yes I I did submit a written uh short written comment but I'd like to indicate that this restaurant has been an invaluable asset to our community it does host many many meetings and birthdays and celebrations and it's you know very well attended all the time um I've been a longtime resident of the orian Heights neighborhood since 1981 and been a a um a a supporter of this restaurant both at at both locations for the many years and so I'm just um in awe of their ability to embrace the whole community and I thought it would be a challenge but they've far exceeded their um their love um that they've gathered from this community and I'm happy to support this thank you for your testimony the next hand I see raised is from a 617 Harbor gmail.com if you could please identify yourself and uh you may provide your testimony to the board you have two minutes sure I'm sorry I didn't rename myself this is Heather O'Brien I'm the next door neighbor and I just wanted I did submit written testimony on a comment but um I would be fully in support of them having an unrestricted full liquor license and the reason they're asking for it is because they're customers are asking for it and that you know everything about this restaurant the family that owns it the philanthropy and Community involvement to their not just the customers but their employees their employees are happy respectful people the restaurants clean and Immaculate they run just an impeccable business and they're very Community oriented and I would like to see one of these new licenses go to a business like this that's really part of who we are in the Boston Neighborhood thank you very much for that testimony uh the next hand I he raised is from an iPhone uh similarly if you could please identify yourself and provide your testimony to the board you'll have two minutes to do so is that from me or no that is you sure okay thank you U my name is mateline statinsky I'm a East Boston resident since 1990 I'm a business owner I run a nonprofit called Zoomix which has been around since 1991 so we're celebrating almost 34 years woohoo um I have known this family for almost the entirety of that time um because xelle who's on the call today participated as a youth in my programs her big sister sits on our board of directors I knew their grandmother Angela when she first moved here and started the business way back in the day I've known Joel and the rest of the family forever um I also truly enjoy both locations of this restaurant they're they're very well-run their food is is absolutely delicious and um it stands out in terms of um you know we have a lot of Latin American restaurants in East Boston and they're all really wonderful in their own way but I think that this restaurant um it has a little bit of a of a kind of higher end feel to it in terms of the just the way you're treated when you come in and the beauty of the restaurant and the care that they take in terms of uh presenting really authentic beautiful Mexican food um and so I fully appreciate um the work that they've put in to build this business um they they live locally they work locally they hire locally um they've had no problems there as far as I understand at either location um and I fully support this application thank you very much are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter I'm gonna hop off if that's okay because I'm in the middle of another meeting you may absolutely than you guys thanks guys good luck thank you there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take the under advisement as well thank you thank you calling item number 22 stoked Pizza JPL LLC doing business as stoked Pizza located at 3484 Washington Street in Jamaica plane has applied for a common victual or 7-Day alcoholic beverages license to be exercised on the above restaurant on the ground floor and second floor of a five-story mixed use development comprised of approximately 4500 square fet of restaurant space on the first floor 3500 ft of dining and bar space on the roof deck and 2,000 ft of basement storage space 47 indoor seats entrances on the front and back of restaurant emergency exit behind kitchen seasonal roof deck on second floor on private property April to October with a 10 p.m patio closing with 89 seats manager torm Miller Closing Time 1: a.m. attorney Adam barnoski attorney barnoski thank you attorney green good afternoon Madam chair commissioner ston and Curran Adam barnoski with the business address of 255 State Street in Boston I'm here on behalf of the applicant stoked Pizza JP LLC the property located at 3484 Washington Street in Jamaica plane with me is tor Miller he's the co-owner and the proposed manager of record as well as Doug McGregor co-owner of the business and uh with us as well is Lee Goodman who is the principal of Watermark the developer for the underlying project we are here on a request for a new section 12 neighborhood restricted all alcoholic beverage license to be utilized in the the uh in connection with Stoke Pizza which is a full service Neighborhood Restaurant as the board may recall uh this is the former location of the historic Doyles Cafe uh which after Decades of operation closed in 2019 Mr Goodman acquired the rights to the site and along with several adjacent parcels and is currently in the midst of constructing a mixed use building which will eventually include residences and on the first floor a retail unit and the sto pizza location that we are here before you today uh the overall product uh project including the under L uses was approved by bpta in 2021 uh briefly some background at stoed Pizza this is a full service family friendly table service restaurant serves a variety of high quality Entre unique pizzas salads along with numerous appetizers and vegan options stoked is a small locally owned business originally founded as a food truck by Tor Miller and Scott rebling over 10 years ago the owners take pride in offering fresh and local ingredients they partner with liliput farms in weum and ingredients are delivered seven days a week to avoid uh freezers preservatives and processed foods the beverage program plays an important role in stoked operation with a variety of beer wine and craft cocktails as part of the menu options uh while stoked currently has two operations open outside of Boston in Brookline and Cambridge it has previously been a cost prohibitive for the group to open in this city due to the entry level cost of lure which we can talk uh a little more about in a moment uh we do want to reiterate that this is a full service restaurant and the full service nature uh of the sitdown restaurant it is not a pizza parlor it's not a slice shop uh about the property this is located on Washington Street in the block between Williams and gartland the restaurant will be located on the south end of the building with 4500 square feet on the ground floor and 3500 square feet on the second floor which will include a second story roof deck uh in addition to 2,000 square fet of basement storage space there will be 147 indoor seats and 89 seats on the seasonal patio uh which will operate from April to October each year they uh are planning to operate seven days a week 1:00 am. closing on the interior and a 10 pm closing hour on the patio while the restaurant will focus on lunch and dinner they' like to retain the option for earlier service during special events or expanded brunch um and you know while alcohol service is a requisite part of their business model uh this this will not be nor are there other locations um strictly bars or late night Concepts uh as I mentioned Tor Miller he is the proposed manager of record he has been an owner operator in the restaurant business for over a decade with prior management experience he has served as the manager of record previously uh overseeing sales service and training related to alcoholic beverages during nearly 10 years of operation near neither torn or stoked um as a LIC C has had any violations whatsoever before local Boards of the abccs um turning briefly to the elements of public need I'd like to address the operator the neighborhood and the doy's Redevelopment um the neighborhood and in this stretch of Washington Street in particular has a wide range of uses including residential commercial retail retail educational recreational and Industrial uh it's really a mix use neighborhood and while there are you know there's a traditional bar nearby there are a few takeout restaurants some more Diner like uh restaurants there are no other full service uh restaurants sit down restaurants within the immediate vicinity of the neighborhood um and here the City previously found for a demonstration of public need where the license existed at this location for decades under doy and while that's not presumptive of of a new finding for public need Stoke will use stoke's use will in part continue um that that Legacy you know when Doyles closed in 2019 there were many residents and groups that expressed strong desire to see a locally owned uh Tavern reborn at this location um they wanted to see an investment in the Revival of the site in the Gathering Place uh so as part of the Redevelopment um uh Lee uh he preserved several historic elements from Doyles uh which will be uh restored and reinstalled into the new restaurant this includes most significantly um the large wooden bar that was at doy so that uh that's currently in storage and will be brought back into the space which I think will add a nice um characteristic in touch to to the new restaurant uh stoked as The Operators also plan to incorporate other elements and historic nods to Doyles including black and white photos of the space and potentially um some of the more notable uh elected officials uh you know both locally and nationally that that stop by U during the the the time in which Doyles was in operation um they will also plan to continue the community element of that space uh for neighborhood functions and and and try to have a a meeting space in the legacy of doy uh we find that the location's appropriate where it's going to be continuation of private uh a prior use it's going to serve as an amenity for the immediate neighborhood as well as the new residents that will live in the uh the building and the adjacent buildings that are being built uh regarding stoked we want to reiterate that this is a locally owned small business the two operating Partners Scott and torm r on the day-to-day business they started small as a food truck and have been working incrementally to grow their business um this will be professionally run and they have a history of operating within neighborhood markets particularly markets like this where you have a mix of retail commercial and residential uses um Boston and in particularly the neighborhoods outside of the downtown uh including JP where rorm liveed for many years have always been on Strokes radar but the cost of licensure previously ruled out these operations um Stoke hopes that they can continue the legacy of other small and independent operators that were granted neighborhood restricted licenses in JP uh after the 2014 batch of neighborhood restricted licenses came out thinking about operators like bro kitchen um Trace Gatos kav these were all small uh operators that really got a start because of those licenses and now are Staples in their in their neighborhood and in the city and Stoke thinks that it can become a piece of of of of of you know of that vibrant um restaurant uh community in JP so you know we feel that this is a good a good use of the neighborhood restricted licenses and that the uh the local ties and combined with the proposed Legacy of Doyles really make this an ideal spot so uh with that we are happy to answer any questions that the board may have thank you very much um just wanted to ask Mr Miller have you been approved by this board as a manager of record I have not been before this board no okay um do you live in Massachusetts I do live in Massachusetts yes okay and your attorney explained your experience and that you're a citizen and um just get the last one on the record um are you familiar with the rules and regs of this board the abcc and the laws of the Commonwealth pertaining to the Salem service of alcohol I am okay great um I have no questions commissioner K commissioner Saxon not at this time thank you just a brief question about the um deliveries you said that there's seven days a week where will they take place Washington is very busy is is a question where where will the the incoming deliveries take place yes um Lee is that is is is that something that you can describe or I'm not sure if thank you Lee Goodman uh with Watermark the development uh organization so the the design of the building is to have a loading dock in the rear so you basically be able to pull trucks in load in and there's an elevator that would take for instance kegs or pallets down to the basement level so it's being constructed to set up a true loading dock to keep everything off the street thank you any further questions from the board before we move to testimony there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes Madam chair members of the board Connor Newman with the mayor's office of neighborhood services at this time the mayor is offed to defer to the judge from this board uh this went through a lengthy um Community process uh first off when the site was uh going through zoning many years ago and then uh earlier this year they came back to on um where we facilitated a community meeting where a Butters were notified uh the applicant then went on to meet with the Jamaican plane neighborhood Council um and secured their support uh with that we theer to the board at this time thank you thank you are there any other elected officials with the representatives who wish to testify uh Sam ano state representative for this District part of the reason we added the addition licensers and we were left out of the city council home RO to the state was to include Jama plane in this and so we're very excited to see this move forward we're very excited to have business back on the streets um it's been absent of liquor licenses up and down Washington for restaurants in a huge ways and so um very much in support and would like to be recorded as that on record thank you thank you uh you may please go ahead hi there this is Bonnie Delon uh on behalf of City councel Weber's office want to go on record supporting uh Stoke pizza's application for the new liquor license we are really excited to welcome Stoke Pizza to the neighborhood in the spot where our legendary Doyle Cafe was and our appreciative that they're honoring that Legacy and thanks to S mono's leadership on including Jamaica play so thank you all great thank you very much we will take testimony for members of the public the first hand I see raised is from Sam if you could please identify yourself and you provide your testimony oh apologies that was me oh no wor thank you all right we have a hand rais from Michael Riskin uh you may please provide your testimony my name is Michael Riskin I live at Fort 25 South Huntington Avenue in Jamaica plane a member of the Jamaica plan neighborhood Council and chair of its Public Service committee we had a neighborhood hearing on this issue on January 2nd of this year uh was very well attended uh by the community um this uh location is a uh a new building um but is trying to keep some of the spirit and flavor of the old Doyles Cafe establishment the cafe the capacity is going to be 147 seats indoor and then 89 seats on the outdoor deck which is large for Jamaica plane but it's uh smaller than the previous capacity of doy which was 265 so people thought this was appropriate um stoked Pizza has uh extensive experience with its two other locations in Brookline and Cambridge and a third opening in Cohasset so we feel they're a wonderful uh new addition to the uh neighborhood they promised that alcohol would be served with food only and there' be no uh live entertainment um a u they're planning on opening in 20 mid or late 2025 um and um a they describe the um layout of the location as well as having that uh large and accessible loading dock um for third-party deliveries they're um uh creating uh dedicated off street parking spaces with a um a locker that food can be passed through from the kitchen into the thirdparty uh delivery spaces so there's a good um uh way of accommodating these third-party deliveries uh off Street which we think is uh very appropriate as I said there was a very well uh there was overwhelming support a very heavily um attended 38 people came to the zoom meeting on this location and everybody was in support there were some questions about perhaps noise on the outdoor deck which is going to be closing at 10: um and the uh lowering of the parking spaces down to 25 uh because of that we've said we asked them to come to a uh six-month later follow-up meeting with the community to see how the outdoor deck uh will be um will be operating and they've uh agreed to that so we ask you that ask that you support this petition for the new uh all alcohol license at 34 84 Washington Street thank you thank you very much are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter board will take this under advisement as well thank you thank you calling item number 23 jeels Corp doing business as Lisas colombianas 2 located at 1231 River Street in Hy park has applied for a common vit or 7-Day all alcoholic beverages license to be exercised on the above premises contains one floor which is roughly 850 sare ft of occupied space one kitchen seating capacity for 45 two bathrooms one entrance and one exit manager Miguel goo Closing Time 1: a.m. who's present on behalf of the applicant uh this is me Miguel gajo hello everybody uh Danny keny Kenya cily maybe there Michael everybody I've been here for a long time this is the longest meeting I've had I'm a citizen I am resent of massachusett Comm well I am familiar with the rules and regulation of the Boston list and board nbcc I open this rest in 2017 I came in as owner on 2021 January uh get the beer and wine licenses C jobs over two years ago now four of my staff are uh Benders already they know the tips um we have experience in food and beers industry and applying for what uh all licenses this time uh we got permit to 1 in the morning this is the only change that I have and I open for any questions thank you you did a great job with the manager of record questions um is your current license a restricted license to High Park I really don't know I know I have the license oh that's okay ding yes okay it is it a main Street's restricted license yes okay so no yeah you'll have to all right sounds good these restricted licenses should you get a new license come back to the city they're not available to the one that I have should be coming to the city and then probably the all license come over here I I have a quick qu question regarding this because I just get the bill for the new licenses for the new year 2025 so I don't know if you I should ask Wendy and she still fill that out y okay okay cool and I know I know have issues regarding ID's problem or any problem on on my restaurant excellent and I think I almost said yes thank you for hanging in there with us this is almost the longest hearing we've had on the licensing side but not quite um with that I have no questions commissioner Ken or commissioner Saxon not at this time thank you no questions thank you thank you are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes madame chair members of the board Connor Newman with the mayor's office of Neighborhood Services this time the mayor's offed to defer to the Judgment of this board some background information on the community process on had host in abutters meeting on March 6th um AB abutters that were present were supportive of The Proposal uh the applicant also went on to receive support from uh the main the local Main Street group uh the central River uh neighborhood group as well as the Hy Park neighborhood association uh we're unaware of any concerns to this time with that will defer to the board thank you thank you thank you are there any other individuals who would like to testify in this matter good board will take this under advisement as well thank you very much and thank you Mr Gago for hanging in there with us today thank you Danny and finally calling item number 24 four Commonwealth Zoological corporation located at Zoo New England located at one Franklin Park Road has applied for a common vit or 7-Day alcoholic beverages licensed to be exercised on the above the whole of the property located at one Franklin Park Road comprising the Franklin Park Zoo bounded by Franklin Park Road cver Street circuit drive and Pier Pont Road as depicted on plans on file with the licensing board Franklin Park Zoo is comprised of 72 acres of land containing various exhibition and animal areas including but not limited to the Kalahari Outpost Pine null giraffe Savannah tropical forest gorilla Grove birdsworld Raptor Ridge things wild butterfly Hollow Farmhouse Cafe me meeting barn and Nature's Pavilion food and beverage services to be available throughout the entirety of the property which cites various seating event dining areas together with various storage areas and restrooms Additionally the applicant has petitioned for the approval of a management agreement between Commonwealth Zoological Corporation and Boston culinary Group Inc manager Andrew Robinson Closing Time 11:00 p.m. attorney Dennis quilty attorney quilty good morning again attorney green Madame chair members of the board thank you for uh your patience this morning and hopefully I can get through this one very quickly and your day will be over uh this is an application by the Franklin Park Zoo the proper name of course Commonwealth Zoological Corporation with us this afternoon John linahan who's the president CEO of Zoo New England uh as well as Andrew Robinson the proposed manager of record and Steve whan both of whom are here for Boston culinary Group which is the proposed manager under management agreement which is of course part of the application uh we are seeking uh permission for a a new alcoholic beverages license this is a nonprofit so I think both zip code wise and nonprofit status uh they would be applying for whichever type type of license the board has uh inventory for if it's approved um this is literally to take the place of Mr linan and his staff people uh applying for one- day licenses every time they have a function or a party or an event at the zoo which happens a great deal as like many other nonprofits um licensed events are a very very important part of the bottom line for these uh U facilities facil facilities such as the zoo who do a great Public Service in in the City and surrounding areas and um this enables them to um keep their programs uh funded and afloat and uh we think it will be a very positive change without much if any uh negativity in the community we did have uh an a Butters meeting on July 24th which went very well we met with the Garrison troter neighborhood association on September 8 they had no issues with our application and I think you are in receed of a letter of support from District city counselor we did meet with and go over uh what the zoo was seeking to do here and she was very understanding uh and I believe provided a letter of non- opposition um so um this is uh you know a great benefit to a great public institution here in the city um and we look forward to taking your questions the manager of record proposed manager of record has many years of experience in the service of food and beverage and alcoholic beverages uh having previously worked for Aramark oncore catering and Boston culinary group um they um I don't think he's a he's a manager in any of those um approved by this board but ample experience is a Mass resident and a US citizen and is here today as is Mr lenan to take any of your questions and we thank you very much thank you I don't have any questions yeah none for me no questions for me thank you in that case are there any individuals who would like to testify on this matter beginning with elected officials or their representatives yes madame chair members of the board Conor Newman with the mayor's office of neighborhood services at this time the mayor's office like to go on record in support of this proposal uh on had hosted an abutters meeting on July 24th on that call a manager of the Harvard Health Center expressed support for the proposal the opin then went on to meet with the Garrison trod neighborhood association and answer their questions regarding some some current excuse me some concerns that the members had ultimately the Civic opted to uh not be in opposition our office believes that granting of the alcohol alcoholic license will be a boon to this Zoo which has operated in the park for 112 years this will also further your Administration goals of having Franklin Park be activated in positive ways uh with that uh we'll defer to the board in our uh record of support thank you thank you very much we'll see if there are any individuals who would like to testify I do see a hand raised Mr Pena um you may testify yes now I'm testifying in support of this uh license as a resident I'm a father of five children a grandfather of three hopefully more grandchild's um come in the pipeline but I love the zoo and this is a great opportunity for uh my family to be part of the community and the city thank you thank you thank you for your testimony are there any other individuals who would like to testify on this matter I'm sorry um I just wanted to be clear that the Commonwealth Zoological Corporation does business as Zoo New England so just so everybody's clear on that and uh is the nonprofit that runs both Franklin Park and stone zoos and again happy to answer any questions thank you Mr lahan are there any questions from the board there appear not to be if there are no other individuals wishing to testify then uh the board will take this matter under advisement as well Conwell Zoological is the name of the applicant entity so thank you very much and uh enjoy what's left of your day thank you all the board is set to vote tomorrow morning at 10: a.m. notice has been posted that will adjourn this hearing thank you all