On Sept. 26, Governor Maura Healey signed Bill H3893 into law — an act authorizing Lexington to grant ten additional wine and malt licenses to local businesses. All ten licenses belong to a new category of alcohol permits that allows non-restaurants to permanently sell liquor for the first time.
Six licenses are available for distribution in the Village Overlay District, Multifamily Overlay District, and Village High-Rise Overlay District. These districts are expected to see new commercial and residential buildings as part of the new MBTA development in Lexington. Four licenses were earmarked for specific local businesses that had expressed interest, including Pinot’s Palette and the Lexington Venue. Businesses will still need to apply through the State Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.
Bill H3893 began as an effort to revitalize Lexington’s economy after the pandemic. The Center Committee hoped to encourage a wider variability of businesses in town, and several residents advocated for breweries in particular.
“Right now, the nighttime economy is very low in Lexington. Whatever you see is during the day, but when it’s night, it’s very quiet,” said Sandhya Iyer, the head of Lexington’s Economic Development Office. Her perspective was echoed by others who believed that breweries could enhance Lexington’s business scene.
In the 2024 Annual Town Meeting, members amended the definition of “restaurant” and added a definition for “craft beverage establishment” to the Zoning Bylaw (See Article 49). Their actions enabled breweries to exist in Lexington, and allowed for a wider variety of food-related businesses to sell alcohol under the “restaurant” label. Residents also passed Article 39, granting Lexington permission to request more licenses from the state. From there, many public officials and boards helped facilitate the legislative process, including Select Board Member Jill Hai and State Representative Michelle Ciccolo. They worked with the four aforementioned businesses, which were unable to sell liquor until the event space/craft beverage establishment licenses were approved.
“The town’s been extremely helpful… Everyone is bent over backwards to help us,” said Ken Hastings, the current owner of the Lexington Venue. The Lexington Venue had hoped to sell alcohol since 2008, when previous owner Peter Siy made plans to include beer and wine in the theater’s concession stand. Restrictions to the type of business that could own a liquor license prevented Siy from carrying out his plan.
Previously, the Lexington Venue had relied on one-day licenses to serve alcohol at special events. Pinot’s Palette had implemented a “bring your own wine” policy. The new licenses, which only require an annual renewal, enable the businesses to avoid such complications.
James Sparks, the CEO of taproom Fable Brewing in Burlington, had no way of navigating around the town’s policies when he was considering opening a location on Hartwell Avenue. Sparks worked together with Rep. Ciccolo to testify for Bill H3893, though he later decided not to locate his brewery in Lexington.
“Lexington was so responsive and so reactive and very good to work with. I had in my mind that even if we did have to pull out of Hartwell, I was happy to help get that going for the town,” Sparks said. There is still a license legally reserved for Fable Brewing under the bill.
For some businesses, the licenses fulfill long-time consumer demands and present an appealing opportunity for profit.
“Pretty much every theater around us has beer and wine, and customers have requested it for years,” Hastings said. “It’s another revenue stream. It just makes sense.”
“Offering wine and beer adds to what people already love about paint-and-sip, which helps in socializing, relaxing and getting creative,” Reshna Katwa, the owner of Pinot’s Palette, told LexObserver.
Pinot’s Palette had previously hosted BYOB Paint-and-Sip events. With the new license, they can avoid inconveniencing customers — and hopefully make more in sales.
“When guests have a great time, the business naturally grows and everything else falls into place,” Katwa said.
The Lexington Economic Development Office hopes to distribute the remaining licenses soon. They are excited for the new possibilities that the licenses will inspire.
“[With the licenses,] Lexington becomes much more attractive [as] a growth opportunity for some of the businesses, and for small businesses especially,” Iyer said. “I think that we are prepared and ahead of the game because of these licenses to bring in new uses and smart business ideas.”