Budget hearing updates include no growth budgets, no progress on fair housing enforcement, flat outdoor dining #'s, conflict over liquor budget; Council gets BTU contract, fast-tracks traffic safety
Boston was given 1000 liquor licenses when the state legislature passed the new post-Prohibition liquor laws in 1933 and those liquor licenses were all given out by the early 2000's. Once those 1000 ran out, that is when the current private market for liquor licenses - where they go for $450k or $600k - started up. There have now been 3 successful efforts to increase the # of licenses in Boston - in 2006, in 2014, and in 2024 - but none of those efforts provided enough licenses to satisfy demand.
Is it in fact the case that there was an abundant supply of liquor licenses such that they had little value at some point over the past 25 years?
Boston was given 1000 liquor licenses when the state legislature passed the new post-Prohibition liquor laws in 1933 and those liquor licenses were all given out by the early 2000's. Once those 1000 ran out, that is when the current private market for liquor licenses - where they go for $450k or $600k - started up. There have now been 3 successful efforts to increase the # of licenses in Boston - in 2006, in 2014, and in 2024 - but none of those efforts provided enough licenses to satisfy demand.
This 2017 masters thesis does a good job laying out the history of Boston's post-prohibition liquor license system: https://sites.tufts.edu/marydavis/files/2017/04/Drago-Thesis_Final.pdf