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As Wellesley liquor license applications pour in, some fear “Pottersville” scenario

April 1, 2012 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley’s recent approval of looser liquor license rules — the minimum seat requirement for a business looking to serve booze has been lowered from 100 to 50  — has reportedly resulted in town officials being swamped with applications.

Proposed businesses run the gamut from restaurants to taverns to quasi-nightclubs, and some fear they could pave the way for Wellesley turning into a sort of “It’s a Wonderful Life” Pottersville if town officials aren’t selective. One Board of Selectmen member a year ago perhaps sounded an early warning, raising the question of whether Wellesley at some point would start saying no to more restaurants.

“On top of the new dives that will no doubt smooth talk their way into town under these new rules, if there were to be a run on any of our 3 dozen banks, I hate to think of what might become of the town,” said one longtime resident who only gave us his first name as George.

A glimpse here at a few of the proposals, as forwarded to us from one town official currently on paid double-secret probation:

*The Bridge: “Our idea is that this restaurant/tavern will reside on the Rockland Street bridge’s temporary structure. If the structure can withstand the weight of a car, it should be able to hold a 50 seats worth of people. And we figure with the town’s bridge building track record, we could operate the business for a good number of years.”

*Re-usables: “We’re looking to operate this bistro/bar at the Wellesley RDF after hours. We have the requisite 50 seats, including a wide variety of lawn chairs that are still quite serviceable, and can assure safety officials that household hazardous waste products will be kept quite separate from our bar area.”

*The Auction House: “Having seen the prices generous Wellesley parents are willing to bid for fruit baskets and kindergarteners’ collages at their school and other community auctions when served alcohol, our idea is to make auctions a nightly option for residents, who could bid vs. neighbors on everything from public school-style cafeteria lunch meals to a variety of alcoholic concoctions that we’d fix if granted a liquor license. An unspecified portion of our proceeds would naturally go to charity.”

*The Wellesley Inn: “We’re proposing something completely different for Wellesley — A classic inn/restaurant/tavern, ideally near the center of town. We’re thinking of modeling it after something like the building shown here. If only there were a space available somewhere near Blue Ginger and Wellesley Square… but we continue to pursue possible locations.”

For more information on the proposed watering holes, go here.

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