Licensing board delays vote on controversial South Boston Starbucks proposal
A controversial Starbucks proposed to fill a long-vacant space on a South Boston corner was put on hold again Thursday when the city’s licensing board delayed a vote on the coffee chain’s application, according to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s office.
Following a Wednesday hearing, the board deferred a vote on the coffee giant’s application for a common victualler license, which would allow it to operate at 749 East Broadway. The board says it will make a decision after sifting through the large number of emails it has received from residents.
“Leading up to the hearing and continuing to this morning, the Board has received a voluminous amount of emails, both in support and opposition of Starbucks,” Chris Pulgini, chair of the licensing board, said in a statement to Boston.com. “I felt it is important to review them all before we vote. I moved that we defer matter. The other board members agreed.”
Starbucks first appeared before the licensing board in May, just days after a tense community meeting in South Boston where dozens of residents gathered to voice their support or opposition for the project. While some eager for a new place to gather in the evenings welcomed the addition to the neighborhood, others feared Starbucks would pull customers from local businesses and strip South Boston of its distinct culture.
Back then, the city denied the coffee chain a license in a unanimous vote. At the time, Walsh said he opposed the plan, citing concerns expressed by community members.
Three months later, Starbucks reappeared before the board — this time with support from the neighborhood’s city councilors, Bill Linehan and Michael Flaherty, according to The Boston Globe. Representatives from the chain again met with supportive and concerned residents at a meeting Monday to discuss issues such as increased traffic and the ways in which Starbucks plans to give back to the community, Caught in Southie reported.
The vacant, newly constructed building is owned by local developer Michael Norton, who gained zoning approval to operate a restaurant in the space and has tried for the past few years to find a suitable tenant. Residents previously supported an independently-owned Italian restaurant, but after the owners failed to secure a liquor license, other vendors, including Starbucks, have tried to move into the space.
The licensing board has yet to set a new date for the vote.
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