In 2003, the City Council asked the state Legislature for permission to convert all its seasonal licenses to annual ones.
Jake's is waiting for approval to convert its seasonal beer and wine license to an annual one.
NORTHAMPTON — The License Commission and the state have settled their differences on the conversion of seasonal beer and wine licenses to annual ones, paving the way for two such conversations Feb. 6.
Jake's Restaurant , 17 King St., and the Grub Sandwich Shop at 88 Pleasant St. are both on the Feb. 6 License Commission agenda seeking ratification of their requests to convert to licenses that will allow them to sell beer and wine year round. Seasonal licenses do not allow holders to sell those items from Jan. 15 to March 30.
With its proliferation of restaurants, the demand in Northampton is high for year-round beer and wine licenses, but the conversion process has been cumbersome and lengthy. In 2003, the City Council asked the state Legislature for permission to convert all its seasonal licenses to annual ones.
The Legislature apparently signed off on the request, passing a special act to that effect in 2005. However, the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, which has the final say on the granting of all alcohol licenses, interpreted the Legislature’s approval to pertain only to the 27 seasonal licenses the city had at the time. The License Commission believed the act meant it could issue as many seasonal licenses as it wanted and convert them to annual ones.
After a back-and-forth between City Solicitor Alan Seewald and the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, the state has agreed to let the License Commission grant as many seasonal licenses as it pleases, but instructed it to wait for approval from the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission before it converts them.
“We can issue seasonal licenses without limit, essentially, and convert them to annual,” said License Commission Chairman William Rosen.
Rosen said the move clears the way for new restaurants in Northampton to offer beer and wine to its customers without a lengthy waiting period, giving the community a general business boost.
“The economy here depends a lot on entertainment and people going out,” he said.