OTR: How can Boston benefit from additional liquor licenses?

IT’S SUNDAY, JUNE 9TH, ALSO KNOWN AS GAME TWO DAY JANET WU IS OUR GUEST THIS MORNING. LET’S GO ON THE RECORD AS MAYOR RYOU’S ECONOMIC CHIEF. HE IS GUIDING BOSTON THROUGH AN EVER CHANGING POST PANDEMIC LANDSCAPE. NEW NUMBERS ARE POSITIVE, BUT CHALLENGES ARE MANY. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT IT. LET’S GO ON THE RECORD FROM WCVB CHANNEL FIVE. THE INSIDE WORD FROM WASHINGTON. TO BEACON HILL. TODAY’S NEWSMAKERS ARE GOING ON THE RECORD. WELCOME TO OTR EVERYONE. I’M ED HARDING ALONG WITH NEWSCENTER FIVE POLITICAL REPORTER SHARMAN SACCHETTI. IT’S GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US THIS MORNING AND WITH US JANET WU. HE IS BOSTON’S CHIEF OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND INCLUSION. HE IS A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF BOSTON, BIG TIME CELTIC FAN, BY THE WAY. BIG TIME. READY FOR. GAME TWO. ALL RIGHT. GOOD. BEFORE JOINING MAYOR MICHELLE WU’S ADMINISTRATION, HE SERVED AS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE BLACK ECONOMIC COUNCIL OF MASSACHUSETTS. HE ALSO HAS SERVED AS VP OF THE BOSTON CHAPTER OF THE NAACP. HE HOLDS A BA IN HISTORY FROM MOREHOUSE COLLEGE IN ATLANTA. IT’S GREAT TO SEE YOU AS ALWAYS. THANKS. FOR HAVING ME BACK. GREAT TO SEE YOU. WELL, THE CITY GETTING SOME GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS RECENTLY, 10,000 JOBS GAINED IN 2023. BUT THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COUNCIL ARE STILL PUSHING AHEAD WITH A PETITION TO ALLOW AN INCREASE IN THE COMMERCIAL TAX RATE. DO YOU THINK THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT MESSAGES. HERE BEING SENT ABOUT THE ECONOMY? I DON’T THINK SO AT ALL, AND I APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION. YOU KNOW, THE PURPOSE OF OUR RELEASING THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY REPORT WAS TO SHOW IT’S NOT THE APOCALYPSE ON THE HORIZON HERE FOR THE CITY OF BOSTON, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT OUR RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN DOING, OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY, WE HAVE ONE OF THE STRONGEST RECOVERIES POST PANDEMIC, YOU KNOW, AND NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, 10,000 JOBS WHERE THE SAFEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, CONSUMER SPENDING IS GOING. IT’S GOING SO WELL, WHY PUSH THE COMMERCIAL TAX RATE? WELL, THIS ALL SAID. WE ALSO BELIEVE IN PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE. SO AT THE SAME TIME THAT, YOU KNOW, JOBS ARE GOING UP, AS YOU STATED, WE ALSO WANT TO BE PREPARED IN THE IN THE CASE THAT COMMERCIAL VALUES DROP, WE DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT WHAT WE DON’T WANT TO HAVE HAPPEN IS NEXT YEAR, VALUES DROP AND THEN TAXES GO UP ON OUR RESIDENTS. SO THE POLICY THE MAYOR HAS PUT FORWARD HAS ACTUALLY IS ACTUALLY A WAY TO PROTECT RESIDENTS. AND REALLY THESE ARE THE EMPLOYEES OF THE EMPLOYERS WHO ARE HERE WHO ARE MAKING THESE DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY STAY IN THE BUILDINGS THEY’RE IN RIGHT NOW. AND SO, DO YOU THINK THIS MAKES PITCHING FOR NEW BUSINESS DIFFICULT? OH, NO, NOT AT ALL. TO ATTRACT NEW BUSINESSES, KNOWING THAT THIS IS POTENTIALLY ON THE HORIZON, NOT AT ALL. SO WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT EMPLOYERS CARE WHAT THEIR EMPLOYEES THINK. YOU KNOW, EMPLOYEES ARE THE ONES WHO ARE DRIVING THE DECISIONS RIGHT NOW OF COMPANIES. THEY WANT TO BE IN A PLACE THAT’S SAFE. THEY WANT TO BE IN A PLACE THAT SCHOOLS ARE DOING WELL. THEY WANT TO BE IN A PLACE WHERE THE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE VIBRANT. AND THAT THEY CAN WALK AROUND AND SUPPORT THE SMALL BUSINESSES. EVERYTHING WE’VE DONE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT’S TRUE. WHEN PEOPLE GET HERE, OUR SPACE GRANT PROGRAM CONNECTING ENTREPRENEURS WITH DIFFERENT SPACES ACROSS THE CITY THAT’S GIVING THEM TONS OF MONEY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR SUCCESSFUL. OUR SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, ALL THE THINGS THAT WE’RE DOING TO MAKE. OUR NEIGHBORHOODS COME ALIVE, THAT IS WHAT EMPLOYEES ARE LOOKING FOR. LEGO DECIDES TO COME HERE BECAUSE OF THE WORK THAT THE MAYOR HAS BEEN DOING TO MAKE THIS A CITY THAT EMPLOYEES WANT TO BE. AND WE KNOW THAT MANY OTHERS THAT ARE MAKING THEIR DECISIONS ARE GOING TO CHOOSE BOSTON BECAUSE OF THE POLICIES THAT WE’VE ENACTED SO FAR. NEXT ITEM WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT ARE THE LIQUOR LICENSES. BECAUSE ON BEACON HILL, THE THE THE HOUSE PASSED A BILL THAT ADDED 205 LIQUOR LICENSES IN BOSTON. I KNOW A LARGER NUMBER WAS WAS HOPED FOR, BUT IT WAS CLOSER TO THAT. IT DOES STILL A NEED SENATE APPROVAL AND B IT WILL ARRIVE. TO THE GOVERNOR’S DESK. AND WHAT WILL SHE DO WITH IT? SO THOSE LICENSES WOULD GO TO THE AREAS OF THE CITY THAT HAVE BEEN LONG UNDERSERVED. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT DORCHESTER, ROXBURY, MATTAPAN, EAST BOSTON. HOW MUCH CAN IT BE A GAME CHANGER? OH, ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, ABSOLUTELY. EVEN A 10 OR 20% BUMP IN YOUR REVENUE BECAUSE OF THIS LIQUOR LICENSE IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PAYING YOUR RENT ON TIME, PAYING YOUR EMPLOYEES MORE WAGES, EXPANDING THE THE CAPACITY OF YOUR RESTAURANT. YOU KNOW, ALL OF THAT IS CRITICAL TO THE SURVIVAL OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. SO I HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT TO COUNCILOR WARRELL REPRESENTATIVE WARRELL, AND SENATOR MIRANDA, WHO HAVE REALLY BEEN GUIDING THIS THROUGH. THIS IS GOING TO BE A GAME CHANGER FOR ALL OF. OUR NEIGHBORS. BUT IT ALMOST BEGS THE QUESTION, WHY, WHY, WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT IT IN 2024? WHY HASN’T IT ALREADY BEEN DONE IN PLACE? IF IT IS A GAME CHANGER? WELL, I MEAN, I’M SURE THERE IS OUR SENTIMENTS OF HOW THE LEGISLATURE, YOU KNOW, COULD WORK WITH DIFFERENT CITIES AND TOWNS IN TERMS OF THEIR ABILITY TO RAISE THE CAP ON LIQUOR LICENSES THAT THEY GIVE OUT. BUT WE ARE GRATEFUL THAT THAT THE LEGISLATURE HAS BEEN MOVING THIS BILL FORWARD PRETTY QUICKLY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR ENTREPRENEURS ARE GETTING ALL THE RESOURCES. WHAT KIND OF ESTABLISHMENTS WOULD WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE. WELL, I’D LOVE TO SEE MORE RESTAURANTS. I MEAN, MY MOM IS IN MATTAPAN. THERE IS NO SIT DOWN RESTAURANT IN MATTAPAN. AND ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THAT IS THAT THERE ARE VERY FEW LIQUOR LICENSES AVAILABLE FOR SOMEONE TO TO UTILIZE ONLY RESTAURANTS OR ANY OTHER. BUSINESSES. WELL, ACCORDING TO THE BILL, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO HAVE THE LIQUOR LICENSE, YOU HAVE TO SERVE FOOD AS WELL. SO, YOU KNOW, WE’LL SEE LOTS OF RESTAURANTS POP UP. BUT THERE ARE SOME LICENSES IN THERE FOR CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS. AND SO BEING ABLE TO GO TO THE LOCAL THEATER WITH THE LIQUOR LICENSE WILL BE IMPORTANT AS WELL. BUT THEY’RE EXPENSIVE. SO HOW DO YOU KEEP THE COSTS FROM BECOMING A BARRIER? WELL, SO THAT’S ONE OF THE THINGS TAKING INTO THE CONSIDERATION FOR THIS BILL. SO THESE ARE THESE LICENSES HAVE NO VALUE. UM, THEY’LL COME BACK TO THE CITY WHEN, IF THE BUSINESS CLOSES AND WE’LL BE ABLE TO GIVE IT BACK OUT TO A NEW ENTREPRENEUR. AND SO THIS IS A WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT SOME SOMEONE DOES NOT HAVE TO PAY $600,000 FOR A LICENSE, BUT WE’LL STILL HAVE THIS, A SIMILAR TYPE OF LICENSE TO BE ABLE TO SELL TO THEIR CUSTOMERS AND INCREASE THEIR PROFITS. ALL RIGHT. THE POST PANDEMIC ECONOMY, IT CONTINUES TO PRESENT A LOT OF CHALLENGES FOR THE CITY. REMOTE HYBRID WORK TRENDS. THEY HAVE ALL SORT OF DECREASED DEMAND FOR OFFICE SPACE. YOU’VE SEEN THAT. WHAT IS THE CITY DOING TO FILL THAT SPOT, TO FILL THOSE SPACES? I THINK IT’S A GREAT QUESTION. I’M THINKING OF YOUR YOUR PREVIOUS QUESTION AS WELL. UM, YOU KNOW, WE’RE GRATEFUL TO THE HOUSE FOR PASSING THE BOND BILL, THE HOUSING BOND BILL, WHICH INCLUDES A LOT OF MONEY FOR OFFICE TO RESIDENTIAL CONVERSION. THIS IS GOING TO SUPPORT WHAT MAYOR WU ALREADY STARTED LAST YEAR FOR OFFICE FOR A PILOT PROGRAM. WE’VE ALREADY SEEN TEN APPLICATIONS COME THROUGH FOR 300 OR SO UNITS. WE KNOW THAT ONCE WE SHOW THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM, MANY, MANY MORE DEVELOPERS ARE GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY. UM, AGAIN, I’LL HIGHLIGHT OUR SPACE PROGRAM. LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE IN COMMERCIAL BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, YOU THINK ABOUT OFFICE SPACE IN DOWNTOWN BOSTON. I MEAN, WHAT KIND OF PLACES WILL THE ARE THESE PLACES THAT A FAMILY CAN AFFORD TO LIVE IN? WELL, I MEAN, I THINK WITH WHAT WE SEE RIGHT NOW, THE APPLICATIONS IN FRONT OF US PROVIDE FOR BOTH TYPES. ONE UNITS THAT FAMILIES COULD COULD LIVE IN, BUT ALSO SINGLE INDIVIDUALS AS WELL. SO AGAIN, WE’RE EXPERIMENTING WITH WHAT WE COULD DO. PLACES SOME AFFORDABLE AND SOME MARKET RATE. BUT I THINK ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO RELIEVE THE PRESSURE ON OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT. BUT, BUT BUT IS THE MBTA PART OF RELIEVING THAT PRESSURE? ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, THE TRANSPORTATION IS, UH, EVERYTHING IS FIGHTING FOR THAT TO BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BECAUSE IT’S IT’S IN THE NEWS EVERY, YOU KNOW, EVERY OTHER DAY. WELL AND WELL, I’LL JUST SAY FOR ON THE MAYOR’S SIDE, IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE GOT A SEAT ON THE BOARD. SO, YOU KNOW, AS THE LARGEST ECONOMIC DRIVER AS THE CAPITAL CITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, OF THE REGION, WE NOW HAVE A SEAT ON THE BOARD TO HELP MAKE DECISIONS ON THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE MAKE IN THE T, BUT IT’S NOT JUST A TRAINS AND BUSSES, WHICH I WILL SAY, THE MAYOR HAS HELPED TO MAKE SEVERAL LINES FREE FOR A LOT OF RESIDENTS TO GET TO AND FROM THE EFFORTS WE’RE MAKING TO PUT BUS LANES IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CITY TO MAKE IT EASIER AND QUICKER TO TRAVEL TO AND FROM WHERE YOU GOT TO GO. BUT ALSO WHAT THE MAYOR IS DOING TO CREATE NEW FORMS OF TRAVEL. SO, YOU KNOW, FOR A LONG TIME, IF YOU RIDE A BIKE, IT’S YOU’RE HITTING TRAFFIC. YEAH, I KNOW, I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO BRING IT UP, YOU KNOW. UM, WELL. LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT CORRELATION BIKE LANE AND BUSINESSES. YEAH. THE OTHER DAY, EVERY DAY, FREQUENTLY I DRIVE RIGHT DOWN BEACON STREET AND YOU DRIVE DOWN BEACON STREET AND RIGHT HERE THE PARKED CARS. AND OVER HERE’S THE BIKE LANE. SO A BIKE LANE WILL SOON RUN ON ONE SIDE OF BOYLSTON FROM MASS AVE TO ARLINGTON STREET. THE OTHER WILL HAVE A DEDICATED BUS LANE. SOME BUSINESSES SAY THE SQUEEZE IS HURTING THEM. WHAT DO YOU SAY EVERY THING THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN DOING IS TO HELP PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE. AND SO THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO RIDE BICYCLES RIGHT NOW WHO ARE FACING A DANGEROUS CIRCUMSTANCE WHEN THEY’RE TRYING TO NAVIGATE THROUGH TRAFFIC. AND SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO PROTECT BIKERS. IS IMPORTANT, AS WELL AS PEDESTRIANS. AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THE MAYOR THAT AS WE ARE THINKING OF A LIVABLE CITY OF A 15 MINUTE CITY, THAT WE’RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO TO MAKE THAT POSSIBLE, I HAVE TO ASK, BECAUSE I’M IN I’M IN THE CITY ALMOST EVERY DAY, AND AND WE DO SEE, UM, A LOT OF TRAFFIC AND NOT A LOT OF TRAFFIC INSIDE THE BIKE LANES. NOT A LOT. OF BICYCLISTS. AND JUST A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, I SAW AN AMBULANCE WHO HAD TO GO DOWN THE BIKE LANE TO HEAD TOWARD MGH BECAUSE THEY JUST COULDN’T MAKE IT THROUGH. UM, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET. AND SO I HAVE TO ASK, I MEAN, DO YOU THINK SOME OF THESE BIKE LANES SHOULD BE RETHOUGHT, THOUGHT, OR REVISITED, GIVEN THE SIZE OF BOSTON STREETS? SO I THINK CHIEF FRANKLIN HODGE, HE’S OUR CHIEF OF STREETS, AND HIS TEAM HAVE BEEN TAKING EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF FEEDBACK INTO CONSIDERATION AS THEY DEVELOP THEIR PLANS FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, THE REDEVELOPMENT OF OUR STREETS AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS SAFE. PEDESTRIANS, BIKERS, FOLKS WHO ARE DRIVING BUSINESSES ARE ABLE TO STILL ABSOLUTELY ALL OF THIS HAS TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION. AND SO WHAT WE’RE NOT DOING IS JUST DOING A THING AND THEN LETTING WHATEVER HAPPEN, WE ARE PROVIDING ALSO RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE’RE DRIVING BUSINESS TO TO THESE BUSINESSES. BUT BIKERS ARE ALSO SUPPORTING THESE BUSINESSES AS WELL. I THINK OF WEST ROXBURY, RIGHT, WHICH WAS ALSO ANOTHER, UH, CONTENTIOUS MATTER. ARE YOU SEEING MORE BICYCLISTS? I MEAN, ARE YOU WERE WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM BUSINESSES? SO THERE’S WELL, THERE’S TWO THINGS. ONE IS, IF WE REMEMBER, DECEMBER OF 22, UH, A KINDERGARTNER WAS STRUCK BY A CAR BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING BUT SPEEDING UP AND DOWN CENTER STREET. WE’VE SEEN AS A RESULT OF THE TRANSFORMATION, 75% DECREASE IN FOLKS SPEEDING DOWN THE STREET. SO, NUMBER ONE, PEOPLE ARE SAFE, RIGHT. AND SO WHETHER YOU’RE TRYING. TO GET TO SCHOOL, GET TO WORK OR SUPPORT A BUSINESS, NOW, YOU’RE NOT WORRIED ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU’RE GOING TO GET MOWED DOWN BY A CAR. THE OTHER THING, THOUGH, IS THAT YES, ESPECIALLY IN A NEIGHBORHOOD, THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS WHO WOULD PREFER TO RIDE A BICYCLE, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE DECIDE NOT TO BECAUSE THERE IS NO CONNECTIVE TISSUE THROUGH THE CITY TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B, I LIVE IN HYDE PARK. I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO RIDE MY BIKE FROM HYDE PARK AVE TO CITY HALL EVERY DAY. RIGHT NOW, BUT SO LONG AS WE’RE MAKING THESE INVESTMENTS TO BE ABLE TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B, ONE DAY I WILL BE. YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT? I WOULD LIKE WEATHER PERMITTING. I WOULD LOVE TO NOT HAVE TO PAY THE CAR NOTE AND THE INSURANCE. WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM BUSINESSES. THOUGH? ARE THEY PUSHING BACK ON YOU AT ALL? WELL, SOME BUSINESSES YOU KNOW, DO PUSH BACK WHEN IT’S FIRST INTRODUCED. BUT AGAIN, THIS IS THE WHOLE PART OF THE DELIBERATIVE PROCESS AND ENGAGING WITH BUSINESS OWNERS AND ALL STAKEHOLDERS TO MAKE SURE IT WORKS FOR THEM. JANET WU WAS IN THE CHAIR. WE’RE ON THE RECORD. STAY WITH US.