How Many Liquor Licenses Will Foxborough Ask For Through Special Legislation?

While it is likely that the selectmen will ask the voters to approve an article at November’s town meeting to petition the state house for more liquor licenses, what is unsure is how many will be requested.

Speaking to the planning board last week, selectmen chairman Lorraine Brue said there is a need for more around town with demand from the Kraft Group and businesses in the downtown area.

“We’ve been approached by two small existing restaurants near the Center of Town that would like to upgrade to a full liquor license and one for the fire station,” Brue told the board.

In addition to the existing establishments, there is a desire by the board to have a license available in case the buyer of the old fire station property wants to open a restaurant. Brue also mentioned the the need for licenses for the potential redevelopment of Foxfield Plaza and a possible need at the former Bradlees area on Commercial Street.

If the board does get guidance for deciding how many licenses to ask for, it will not come from the planning board. When Brue asked for a suggestion, the board chose to not comment.

“Our concern is not identifying numbers, we pass that to the board of selectmen,” planning board vice-chairman Bill Grieder said. “The question is can Foxboro restrict where licenses go? Mansfield is doing this with special legislation.”

The Mansfield approach to assign the licenses to certain parts of town to encourage development was an approach that both boards seemed to agree on as a model for their legislation.

“If the town of Foxborough wanted to do these specific assignments, it’s best to use their template only because the language has been vetted. It would be easier to get through the hearing process,” selectman Ginny Coppola said.

With the selectmen aiming for November, the planning board did however, suggest that the board aim for the annual town meeting rather than the special.

“You’re going to have to do an educational campaign and given the time frame it may make more sense to aim for the annual so you can plan a draft for Rep. Jay Barrows and have more finite locations. The licenses are a second thought in this discussion,” Grieder said.

The selectmen are expected to continue discussing the issue in the lead up to the Special Town Meeting.