Later Hours for Bars?

1. All these seem like excellent ideas. The Mayor deserves and receives my thanks. As do you for co-sponsoring.

2. I think this should be passed. Closing bars at 2 forces people to drink more, faster. Extending hours would allow people to consume over a longer time period and allow their body to process it, rather than constricting the time frame.

3. I think that bars should close past 2 am because I agree that people drink faster and are more in a hurry when they close at 2. It would also offer more work hours for people in the city. A great solution would be to confine the hours in which drinks are sold.

4. I fully support this bill. It will help bring in more business and allow Boston to be considered more of an international city and hub of business. I don’t see it negatively affecting neighborhoods, as it could actually cut down on people drinking quickly to fit it all in before 2pm- or really 1:45 or earlier when last call actually happens. I think things could actually be less rowdy.

5. I like the longer hours.

   Relaxing the licensing seems like it could spur innovation, though I guess I see the licensing process more as a way to suspend a poorly behaving business in the case it becomes a nuisance or problems arise. What mechanism will there be to hold businesses accountable for bad behavior in lieu of suspending a license?

6. There is nothing good happen after 2am, boston is a great ad safe city c bars stay open till 2 am only. This will only increase crimes and drunk people and disrupted the peace of Boston. Don’t try to sell this bill for helping small business on the price of destroying a lot of lives. Another political cheap bill.

7. As a person who has been to many places in both the US and abroad where alcohol is sold past 2AM, and a resident of Brighton, I support this initiative. It’s clearly a non-issue in other municipalities, so I support our own municipalities ability to make the decision for themselves.

8. I wholeheartedly support small businesses and believe in giving further opportunities to grow and expand; I do not believe in allowing bars to stay open past 2 AM in the City of Boston.

   One must consider the residents of the city when making decisions such as this. Much of my family lives in the heart of the Back Bay, myself included. It is extraordinarily disruptive to have bar is letting out at 2 AM as it is. The last thing that we need is to have people outside loitering and smoking cigarettes even further into the night. I can tell you that the smoke coming up from the cigarettes and the noise that comes from the revelers makes life in this city more difficult.

   Not dissimilar to the Boston 2024 proposal ( specifically using the historical Boston common as a volleyball site,) I think that the Mayor should focus more on his constituents that support the city with their taxes. I am not saying that every resident of the city of Boston is not important, simply that one must use common sense when making decisions that affect residents who are paying the highest taxes. It is very easy for us to move elsewhere. If residents start fleeing, property values go down and assessments go down. Therefore property taxes go down and you are in a budgetary constraint.

   My personal opinion is to focus more on the school system. Focus more on affordable housing. Definitely focus on the problem of homelessness in the city and the transportation department’s failures. Bars are open late enough and we have so many students in the city. Let them focus on their studies and 2 AM is perfectly late enough to stay out each night of the week.

9. Dear Senator,
   Can we please get some specifics here? Which neighborhoods would be “enlivened” by allowing people to get drunk till all hours of the morning? I find that bars generally denigrate a neighborhood. Anyone drinking at 3 in the morning will not enhance any neighborhood that I can think of.

   May we know which bars or areas are petitioning for this burden on the neighbors? It’s all very mysterious, which also makes me suspicious. I live in Cleveland Circle, and, as you are aware, we are saddled with Mary Ann’s is both an eye sore and a source of troublesome, loud, drunken behavior. This concerns me very much to think sites that are already a problem become worse.

   This discussion needs much more transparent.

   Thank you for considering my opinion.

   Janet Kenney
   Strathmore Road
   Brighton

   1. The mayor seems to be interested in trying this in the Seaport. Nobody is advocating it for Brighton.

10. I think this would be a great way to increase revenue for local establishments, and also improve Boston’s image as a destination for young people. With a 2am closing time, Boston will often be seen as a younger sibling to NYC and other world-class cities.

11. If other communities across the nation have made closing times later than 2am work given many, and sometimes even more, problems than those that the Boston area already faces, we can certainly make it work. Obviously some residents will not like this concept and we must factor in their concerns into this dialogue. Still, I believe that this will, at least in part, help the city and the area in the long run.

12. It is vital for Boston to allow establishments to stay open later.

13. I think this is a great idea, and fully support the Pilot Program!

14. NO. The answer is NO. To increase profit for bars means more drunks, more accidents, more fights. Being near a train means nothing. Adding hours to street fighting, violence and noise does nothing for any community, its not all about money! Nothing good happens after midnight–golden rule.

    1. Have you been out in NYC or Miami after 2 am? It is certainly much safer than Boston after 2 am…..

15. NO. I agree with previous commentator: “more drunks, more accidents, more fights.” (also more noise)

16. I wholeheartedly approve of this proposed legislation. In order to compete with cities across America, antiquated licenses like those on pool tables should be done away with, and businesses offering to stay open later and generate more money and tax revenue should be encouraged to do so.

    Going forward, I’d hope Senator Brownsberger would support re-instituting happy hour, as well as ending the restriction on liquor licenses in the city of Boston, which merely drive up costs and enrich a few holders of the licenses.

17. I think this is an excellent idea. Other major cities in the U.S. have longer bar hours and its time for Boston to follow. We have a hard time retaining college students post-graduation and an extended social scene will help elevate that.

18. I think this is an excellent idea. Make it so

19. I think this is a great idea. There are many other cities that have longer bar hours and we have lots of college students. It would boost the social scene immensely.

20. I think this is a perfectly fine idea, but I’m more concerned with legalizing happy hour. Why should people continue to be paying $6 for a glass of beer at 5:30 PM on a Monday?

21. While I rarely agree with the Mayor, I support bars being able to be open later but not just in the seaport. I think all neighborhoods should have equal opportunity to expand their businesses/hours. Coupled with later MBTA hours, this could turn Boston into a great city instead of someplace so restricted that people don’t bother to go out…

22. It’s a great idea! We need to move Boston forward, even extending until 3 AM will really help. If Boston really wants to be a world class city, it has to do thing like this..

23. We all are adults and when treated as such mmost respond positively.

24. With Boston’s largest population of people in the age-range of 25-34 (21% according to the US 2000 Census), this seems appropriate and frankly, necessary.

    I think that piloting the program in the Seaport district is a sharp move – to drive more people and business to an up and coming area of Boston.

    Thank you Senator Brownsberger!

    1. This is a matter of fact acknowledgement that people in the age range of 25-34 are heavily into drinking, and that laws should be changed to enable their predilection in that regard. Beautiful (not).

25. I support allowing certain establishments to stay open past 2 a.m. It is part of making Boston a world-class city. Out of concern for safety and accessibility, we also need to look into having the MBTA run later too.

26. I think this is a good idea. Letting cities/towns set their own rules is a good thing. With new services such as Lyft/Uber making transportation much simpler. One thing I would like to add to this or future legislation. The current rules for fake IDs greatly punish bars if they have people use a fake ID that is out of state versus an in state Fake Id which is insanity. What the state should do is collaborate with State and Federal law enforcement and build a master ID list. The purpose of this list could be a simple ID digital access point that bars could access. The goal would be to allow people to purchase alcohol with the following forms of ID from:
    All US states/territories , all Canadian Provinces/territories, an EU drivers licenses. This would help prevent the embarrassing situation where out of town business travelers/tourists can get a drink without having to carry their passport.

27. This bill sounds like a fantastic idea! The current restrictions on bar closing times and licenses for bowling allies and pool tables is illogical and restrictive to our economy. I stand behind this bill 100%!

    I understand that certain residential neighborhoods such as Beacon Hill and the South End would not want later bar hours, but the Theater District, Seaport, and Faneuil Hall (among others) are perfect areas for late night bars and restaurants.

    When I explain these restrictions (among many other ridiculous laws in Massachusetts i.e., no happy hour and no liquor store sales on certain holidays), to people that are not from the area, I am quite embarrassed and they usually react in near disbelief. There are so many changes that Boston and Massachusetts needs to make to improve our economy, culture and reputation. This new bill is a great step in that direction and I pray that it will become law.

28. Hello Bill, you are doing a great job! Downtown Boston and the Seaport, Hotels (for their guests) and Private Clubs may be a place to start. Neighborhoods with large ADULT taxpayer, voting residents is NOT APPROPRIATE for so many reasons. In regard to the MBTA: Your site states: “Currently, the statewide alcohol licensing rules prohibit any bar from being open between 2AM and 8AM, regardless of local preferences. The change would permit municipalities inside the MBTA service area to decide to grant later licenses.” That statement is ridiculous. The MBTA can’t manage it’s finances and taxpayers whether or not they use the MBTA are already burdened with providing infrastructure with greater and greater requirements every year to support the colleges. Maybe you should expend your efforts introducing a bill requiring the colleges to buy an annual MBTA pass for each of it’s students since they tend to use the T significantly more than permanent residents. The vast majority of people looking for 3am and 4am alcohol are students. Maybe the colleges can provide all night drinking parlors on campus not in our neighborhoods. Kind Regards!

29. Neighborhoods that become more vital by selling alcohol after 2 a.m.? My neighborhood doesn’t need that kind of vitality. Doesn’t this simply mean more drunk drivers, violence, decreased productivity in the office at 9 a.m. and at school, and a lot of other bad things? I don’t think this makes a lot of sense. Look at the research; it’s out there, if you want to find it.

30. Balancing multiple interests and arguments, I’d say that overall this is a good idea. Let’s try later closing hours in some neighborhoods on a pilot basis and see what the effects are. Having a few neighborhoods with a vibrant late-night scene makes sense. Just make sure that they neighborhood residents get to have their say, which this proposal would give them through the existing process.

31. I am acutely aware of the 1 in 3 demographic. As a senior who likes to sleep at night, I am not hopeful that neighborhoods near bar areas will be able to block a 2 am closing if it becomes an option, as the younger demographic will almost certainly favor it. So I am opposed.

32. Plus of course all this bill does is give Boston (back) its freedom of action. On those terms the bill seems so obviously right that I find it hard to imagine a meaningful opposition. Clearly the city is the right level to be making these decisions.

33. I think this is probably fine for some neighborhoods. However, since this is another initiative designed to make us a “world class city” (which seems to mean (a) more like NYC and (b) more friendly to people in their twenties with significant disposable incomes) with the presumed goal of increasing revenue for the city, why not spread the wealth to neighborhoods that don’t want to become similarly “world class” by imposing a small tax/surcharge on these neighborhoods/establishments OR make the license to stay open cost enough money that it would generate enough money for the city without discouraging Legal Seafood from serving drunk tourists or tech bros or whomever until 4 in the morning.

    There should, in general, be a “world class city” tax on all of the recent initiatives (Millennium Place, etc.) designed primarily lure capital to our city, that is limited to funding the MBTA or BPS only.

34. I’m all for allowing later alcohol hours in primarily non-residential districts, or at least where the residents live in large apartment buildings insulated from noise and mayhem and well served by the city in transportation and cleaning. This will make Boston more vibrant and interesting, and give people a place to go after shows in the theater district.
    I’m not in favor of it for a neighborhood like Brighton, where groups of loud singing drunks are easily heard almost every night as soon as the bars close by people in houses, triple-deckers and small apartment buildings. I sleep with earplugs winter and summer. Because of the close proximity of bars to our housing, we also have a huge problem with litter and general mess, including sidewalk vomit. Longer drinking hours means more drinking, and I’m afraid we’d end up stepping over bodies in the morning. In addition, our neighborhood is not served that well by the MBTA, and is quite hard to get into and out of late at night, since bus routes shut down early.
    Thanks for listening!

35. Senator Brownsberger,

    Let us be clear, this bill would not help small businesses since bars and restaurants with a bar are mainly big businesses now. Neighborhoods don’t need bars with longer hours to produce more drunks and we certainly don’t need the bad consequences of more people drinking until late in the neighborhood.
    In the city of Boston with extended young adults and college students, we are going to have more drunken young people who sing, yell and scream in the residential area close to bars and disturbing more families during late night hours and early mornings. Why is it in the past few years we keep forgetting that Boston is very much a family and residential city and it was meant that way since the beginning and we would like very much to keep it that way?
    I am not against progression however, I am against causing our society to have more drunks around the city for longer hours.
    Shall we focus more on the issues that will help the safety of our state? We could also focus on fixing MBTA’s issues rather than putting more burdens on the institution that we are trying so hard and spending so much money to make safer and more useable for all the residents of our state? How about having more consideration for the residents of Boston who live in the city, thus, the ones who would suffer the most by tolerating the unwanted results of extending bar hours? Please do not support this bill. Thank you!

36. Despite similar unsuccessful past efforts to allow for later closing times (many met with seemingly reflexive opposition), I am fully in favor of the judicious extension of food & entertainment venue hours, to help Boston truly join the ranks of so-called “world-class” cities, many of which allow more all night shops, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, etc. There are already, I believe, ‘quiet hours’ regulations in the city; this would not change, and merely requires police to enforce existing laws to make sure that later hours does not translate to waking sleeping citizens. But Boston needs more nightlife, and not just for young drunken college co-eds. Many people like to stay out past 2 a.m., and should have a variety of options to do so.

    Thanks for your efforts to make this happen, and you have my support.

    Sincerely,

    Jamie Simpson
    Boston, MA

37. Hi Will,

    I am wary of establishments serving alcohol “served by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, to be exempt from the state law that prohibits the sale of alcohol at bars and restaurants between the hours of 2 a.m.”

    2 AM is enough.

    The real issue is too many bars now especially in Allston/Brighton.

    It is rich that our “AA” mayor who will not support Medical Marijuana wants to have later hours for more alcohol consumption.

38. I am very reluctant to support later closing hours for bars, even as a pilot program. I don’t see how opening our streets to more boisterous, drinking people at 3 or 4 a.m. enhances city life, certainly not for working residents. It seems to me that too many times programs are permitted that while they may bring revenue to certain business people, they burden the residents of the city, the ones who pay the taxes. I give as an example, the now withdrawn effort to bring the Olympics to our city. Then there is the bone head idea of turning the streets in the Seaport District into a road race track. Yes, some of us choose to live in a city and certainly there are inconveniences associated with that choice but really (?) do we need more drinking, road races and the accompanying costs to municipal services at the expense of stable resident population?

39. Yes, finally. We can be a real city.

40. This is a great idea to update antiquated state law to reflect current times. Additionally, it allows for local/municipal governments to control local affairs like commercial and business licenses – something that the state government should have limited involvement with.

    Section 1 concerning later bar hours – The MBTA service area restriction seems bizarre to me. Any further explanation for this provision?

    1. Reference to the MBTA service area is really just a way of identifying the more urban parts of the state.

       It also resonates with the concept of providing late night transportation, but that may or may not be realistic.

41. Good idea!

42. I oppose longer bar hours for Boston. As a four-year resident of Allston I have personally witnessed the aesthetic, economic, and social improvements to my neighborhood following the closing of a problematic bar on Commonwealth Avenue and the subsequent opening of a specialty grocer in its place. Moreover, there is significant evidence that increased availability of alcohol leads to increased overall and problem drinking, which then leads to increased second hand effects such as assault or problems at school or at work. As both a resident of Allston and a health professional I cannot support this proposal: the negative social and physical effects of increased alcohol availability on our entire community are simply not worth the financial gain for a small proportion of the business community.

43. I support the resolution. Myself along with many of my neighbor increasingly work non traditional work hours. Longer opening hours would afford many city residents the opportunity to engage in the nightlife that our city offers.

44. I’m all in favor of these changes.

45. Great idea. With increased MBTA hours and an abundance of taxis and Uber cars on the road, it is time for establishments to catch up with the times. This, of course, will not happen in every bar in town, but there are certain establishments and communities that will thrive with later hours.
    Hopefully this will pass and Happy Hour will not be far behind

46. Excellent idea! I am in fully support!

47. I like this idea. The state rules are too restrictive for those areas that are clearly entertainment zones and not residential. As long as the community process is preserved, I think this is an improvement.

48. No strong opinion on this bill. Nothing wrong with trying this option but the T and taxis have to be available to take people home.

    If we aren’t going to extend T hours and make no additional taxi capacity available I would not support the bill. It is already quite difficult to get a taxi during the late hours so extending drinking hours will only make it worse.

49. I fully support this. I think the Mayor will be good in conducting reviews etc before acting and likely the waterfront would be the first neighborhood for at least a pilot to see how it went. To assume the City would go ahead in many other neighborhoods without input from residents is absurd.

50. Hi, Thank you for the email and including more residents in this process. My family is all for the study; I don’t see a ton of downsides and agree that many areas of the City could use the boost. My one concern is how late the new closing times would be. I would probably not support new hours past 4am in predominantly residential neighborhoods.

    Again, many thanks for including us in this outreach.

51. Sounds great if the late hours are for downtown and the seaport area. If this is in my neighborhood of Allston/Brighton we do not need later hours or more taverns on Harvard Ave. We need sit down restaraunts where families and adults can enjoy dinner and a converstation. Bowling alleys are a great idea, we had to go to Somerville to bowl last weekend. I should be spending my $$ in Boston and riding the T. TY

52. As a resident of Allston I have too often had my sleep disturbed with loud noise coming from inebriated people. A community is not strengthened or made more vital with longer bar hours Aure it could benefit some business people but can only increase crime and Lowe the quality of life doe residents. It is a short-sided idea that ultimately will cause more harm than good.

    1. I don’t blame you at all. Even though Allston/Brighton is home to many young adults, I don’t think late closing hours would be of benefit to anybody

53. About time Boston catch-up and live up to the world class city accolades that were being thrown out by the Olympic proponents. The Fenway is a great example of where extended hours would be most appropriate as most of the bars and nightclubs are in an area segregated from residential.

54. I support this initiative providing that sufficient transportation options are available. I believe the T recently ended its late hours program. Perhaps some sort of late hour licensing fee could be used to help the T pay for the extra service?

55. I think this is a great idea! Neighborhoods should be allowed to decide this for themselves. I agree with the comments that this should be paired with lengthened T hours so that people are able to get home.

56. I’m totally into longer hours. Indiana bars are open until 3am, and staying out later is a good experience to have.

57. I completely oppose Section 1 anywhere near a residential neighborhood.

    No responsible person has any need to buy more bar drinks after 2:00 a.m.

    I live in a residential neighborhood, but just one block away are 3 bars, and we already have too many drunken, out-of-control lunatics shooting out of them after 2:00 a.m.

    The bars and the City can’t control these customers now, so extending hours will only make it worse.

    1. I agree on keeping the late hours away from our more traditionally residential neighborhoods.

58. The City is best served by limiting late closing hours to certain areas of the City on a permanent basis. Those areas that seem obvious to me are The Seaport, the Boston Garden/North Station area,a tight area around Fenway Park and the Financial District/Downtown Crossing neighborhood. The borders should be kept tight where necessary or at the request of residents.

    Based on my familiarity with the neighborhoods of Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and Bay Village – I recommend considering allowing the hotel bars and restaurants to have the privilege of later hours. I don’t think there will be a big fight over that.

59. I’m strongly opposed to alcohol hours being extended, even if it’s just a pilot in certain areas. It’s bad for everyone! There is NO positive reason, NONE, for a business to be serving alcoholic beverages beyond two am unless you’re looking to up the death count by alcohol poisoning in our area. Living in Brighton I see the devastation caused by the intoxicated people who’ve puked all over the sidewalk after getting into a fistfight with their equally drunk buddies. Financial motives are a reprehensible reason to endanger the public health and safety of the waterfront, downtown and the region as a whole by allowing people to drink more alcohol for a longer time!
    I wonder what the Massachusetts Department of Public Health thinks about this.

60. Section 1 is the only proposed section to which I have serious objection. This is on record at Senator Brownsburger’s office as well. Sine we are a “college town,” we already suffer the effects of excessive drinking and the obnoxious behavior that goes with it. No one needs to get more drink in the extra hour or two the place might be able to keep serving. In Cleveland Circle, it would only serve to make the Eye and Nose sore (from the smokers hanging out outside) of Mary Ann’s bar – which the city should be working to shut down, not grant more time to deepen the stupor of its customers. No, I’m not over there at two or three in the morning, but I do go around with gloves and a trash bag to clean up on weekends. The more drunk they are, the more filth on the streets the next morning
    If people can’t get sufficiently stinking drunk by two AM, there’s no reason to give them time to keep trying.
    I’m surprised and sad to see this nonsense coming from the Mayor, who said he was committed to getting the cycle of students and absentee landlords under control. In the neighborhoods, we’ve seen absolutely no changes, no enforcement of promised regulations (no more than four? Nothing. $25 charge for chane of tenants? Nothing) and now the Mayor wants to give this same crowd (working people don’t stay out all night drinking — the students would be the only ones who would be taking advantage of this new “freedom”; we ARE talking about students when we discuss this issue — more time to get more drunk. No, no. This is a terrible idea.
    Thank you

    Janet Kenney
    52 Strathmore Road
    Brighton

    1. Janet, I hear clearly the concerns about later hours in Brighton. And I know other people have similar concerns in other quiet neighborhoods. No one is advocating later hours in Brighton (or Back bay, for that matter). The only neighborhood the Mayor has specifically suggested is the Seaport.

       But do you oppose later hours for all neighborhoods? Or is it that you lack confidence in the process to limit the expansion once it is allowed. We may be able to narrow the proposal or put tighter controls on it to address that concerned about uncontrolled expansion.

61. I am not in favor of longer bar hours. What makes a neighborhood vital is a variety of offerings for adults and children. Entertainment, shopping, Green space, and restaurants bring people to a neighborhood. A bar that is open until 3 AM, 4 AM or 5 AM is not catering to the majority of the population that would find it more of a public nuisance than a neighborhood enhancement.

62. No..it( 2 AM closing) is fine as is.

63. I think it makes sense to move in this direction and a pilot program would allow for a measured rollout.

    I do think Boston is at a competitive advantage with such early closing hours.

    Duane

    1. We are at a competitive advantage at attracting people who must use alcohol after 2 a.m.?

64. I agree that allowing bars open past 2 am would benefit the city. In my opinion, it’s not so much about being able to drink until all hours in the night… but when apartments in the city are so small, it would be nice to have somewhere to hang out and end the night while sipping on a beer. I think Seaport would be a great beginning.

65. I strongly would support this measure. Boston is being kept from becoming a true world-class city by the fact that it has very limited night life that closes much earlier than most other comparable metropolitan areas. This would go a long way toward making Boston more attractive to young people, help businesses, and bring us on par with truly world-class cities. The demand is there, so there really is no downside. Anyone who thinks otherwise, is just scared of change and progress.

66. No to section 1! In Brighton we already have loud drunks staggering down the street late at night when all the bars close. At least we know this ends at 2am now and we can sleep afterwards. A steady stream all through the night would not be good.

67. It’s about time Boston joined the 21st century. The city of today shouldn’t be dealing with these antiquated requirements, some of which probably date to the Prohibition era (almost a hundred years ago). I only wish a bill like this was filed decades ago. Senator Brownsberger has my FULL support!!!

68. Senator, I oppose this for the following reasons:

    1) The state has a serious alcohol addiction problem already. If people need a drink after 2am let it be in their home. Is the added revenue this bill promotes really going to offset the added police, transport and social costs? I dispute the notion that nightclubs & bars not opening past 2 keeps Boston from being world-class. If that is the goal then entice shops and businesses (that close pre 2am) to open in the plethora of vacant commercial space in the city.
    2) The T is stressed, it needs repair, not added expense of transporting more people at times when infrastructure repairs can be made.
    3) If the goal is to increase revenue to the bar/restaurant business then reinstate Happy Hour. The current structure can tolerate the volume and potential disorderly behavior earlier in the day, not late at night.

69. I’m against the bars and taverns being open past 2 AM. What good can come from having an establishment open after that hour. It’s not fair to the staff and their families nor to anyone who happens to live in the neighborhood or where the patrons are dropped off after leaving the bars.

    We need to encourage social drinking and this would not be in that category.

    I live at 40 St. Botolph St #37B

70. Boston NEEDS a later curfew for bars/clubs. It makes us look ignorant and uncultured (not to mention old and crotchety). We should be ashamed that there is currently NO place in Boston to go after 2am and hear live music/DJ’s/comedy or anything at all. Lets catch up! I live in Jamaica Plain

71. I’m not a big fan of this idea in the Fenway, since we have problems already with drunken, loud college kids walking down our residential streets at 2AM. So now they’ll be wreaking their havoc even later into the wee hours? Is the T going to run longer hours as well?

    1. For neighborhoods that are heavily residential, like the Fenway where I am a homeowner, this is a terrible idea. We already have problems with noise and inappropriate behavior (mostly by inebriated college students) with a 2am closing time at the local bar.

       I can see this benefiting just a few areas of the city which are not primarily residential, such as the Seaport district, or Downtown Crossing. I believe the final wording of the bill should allow later closing times ONLY in non-residential neighborhoods.

72. Dear Senator Brownsberger,

    As a homeowner and lifelong resident of Allston, I strongly oppose the bill allowing bars and liquor licensing establishments to stay open past 2:00 am. My residential home is on the MBTA bus Route 66. From early morning (starting at 5:00 am) we live with speeding trucks, construction vehicles, buses using our street. While waiting for the traffic light to change, we are disturbed by idling trucks downshifting and idling with diesel fumes that we breath, the exceptionally loud MBTA buses (they are so loud, you cannot carry on a conversation until the bus moves away). Having intoxicated people hanging around the streets all hours of the night is a bad idea and I fear it would cause more crime, graffiti, trash and disturbances to those of us who need to have a few hours of peace and quiet. Thank you for any help you may provide to us in voting against this bill.

73. Expanded hours for bars is a great idea! It will make our city more appealing to young people.

74. I fully support this bill! This sounds like an excellent remedy to Boston’s frustrating night life.

    Unfortunately the night life does not suddenly grind to a halt at 2:00 am, but annoying things such as last calls at 1:30 am or prior and not being allowed into bars after 1:00 am happen all too often. The early closing time makes a night out in Boston feel so rushed and people drink faster because of this. I have had more casual nights out in NYC and Miami where it still seems “normal” at 2:00 am (or later), yet I know that Boston is freaking out as everyone is scrambling for their final drinks and a ride home all at once.

    I think that allowing a later closing time (neighborhood appropriate) for bars would boost the activity in the city and incentivize other businesses to stay open later as well (finding convenient quality food after midnight is a disaster). Why live in a city if everything shuts down early? This bill could only have a positive impact on our economy.

    With the late-night T running on weekends and the combination of Uber, Lyft and cabs, I don’t see a transportation problem at all. I would not expect an increase in DUI due to this change. I have numerous “party animal” friends that never drink and drive because it’s so convenient to get around here. Extending bar hours would alleviate the 2 am rush for a ride home. Does everyone forget there are cities open much later that have terrible public transit and do not experience significant issues (Miami, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Atlanta)?

    The changes in this bill will be a great stride towards Boston becoming a world class city that attracts people of all ages. We have a serious problem retaining college students and there is a huge gap in demographics due to the lack of 25-35 year olds. This is because this city is catered to college students and “empty nesters”. This bill will make a significant improvement of our city’s culture and socioeconomic status and I look forward to it becoming law.

75. As a resident of Brighton (with 3 kids) I absolutely support this bill.

    The current 2AM curfew is not only outdated but exactly the reason why so many drunk loud people run back to the neighborhoods to continue partying after hours — 2am is way too early to stop partying.

    
    The solution is simple: Let people party inside bars and clubs until they tire out.
    

    And with lack of legal outlets (bars and clubs are closed) they head back to the neighborhoods for house parties.
    My residential street in Brighton becomes annoyingly loud exactly at 2AM. Let people come home at 5am when they are exhausted and ready to sleep.

    Miami, Nyc, Chicago, most European cities all are 24 hour cities. Boston should join the club.

    Excellent proposal and long overdue!
    Mikolaj

76. this is completely irresponsible legislation as no one but the bar owners benefit. Late night closings means more crime, more rowdy early morning drunk behavior, more vandalism. So they want to make Boston into a party city like Miami and Vegas.

    Should this pass I hope 10 new bars operating till 4am open up in Brownsberger’s Belmont neighborhood preferably on his street. Can’t believe I’d ever see the day where an elected official representing Allston-Brighton would push such irresponsible legislation.

77. Senator Brownsberger
    After reading your proposed legislation and the comments posted here, I think there is a need to clarify what this bill would change. The proposed legislation (S127) would eliminate the requirement for any closing time in communities served by the MBTA. That is what it says. People (including yourself) may not believe that 24 hour licenses would ever be issued, but that’s what your legislation would allow if passed as written. Much of the discussion has been around extending hours beyond 2AM. Under your legislation, it would be up to 2 people (2/3 majority on a 3 member Board in Boston) to determine if and when any licensed premise would have to close at all. If there is a demand for later hours in certain areas of the city then a bill that is more specific in terms of both the areas and times should be filed. This bill goes far beyond that.
    Paul Berkeley

    1. Fair point. The bill does leave it fully up to municipalities to determine bar hours. The Mayor has framed what he wants to do as more limited, but the bill gives broad flexibility.

78. Please consider addressing, in this bill, an adjustment to the limit on alcohol licenses. Let the market determine the need by releasing more non-transferable licenses. This will also address the monopoly system of selling licenses as pieces of equity.

79. For the city, the Mayor might want to think about more than one pilot at a time. Several pilots might generate useful comparisons.

80. Letting bars stay open later makes sense if we combine it with: 1) letting non-alcoholic restaurants stay open later, so people can have places to sober up; and 2) imposing heavy penalties on bars who serve people that are already drunk.

81. I believe it should be up to the local businesses, customers, and residents when hours of operation should be. Many other cities allow bars to be open pay two AM, and it is beneficial both for the local economy and the attractiveness of the city to outsiders.

82. What we need are expanded hours for the T and for the T to run on time and consistently and for MBTA employees to behave professionally toward their customers. We *do not* need longer hours for bars, especially when the T stops running before the bars close. Why don’t you ask us what we really need instead of trying to get us to sign up for something we don’t need or want?

    1. Not asking you to sign up. Honestly seeking feedback on the Mayor’s proposal.

83. As an Allston resident since 1981 and a home owner here, I oppose extending bar hours in my community. I believe later bar hours would do little to enhance the quality of life here.

    But first, I have lost count of the number of replies that suggest extending bar hours would make Boston a ‘world class city.’ Our medical facilities, colleges and universities, our cutting edge research centers and businesses and our unique and important history are what I would call world class. I also doubt that any of the folks who come to Boston to attend, visit or be treated at the above mentioned attractions say: “I can only drink until 2 a.m.? Sorry I’m not coming.”

    As for Allston-Brighton specifically, there is more to building community than extending bar hours. The negative effects of alcohol abuse are well known and Allston-Brighton has more than its share.

    Finally, for those who apologize for or are embarrassed by 2 .m. closings (your comments are here), perhaps you’re in the wrong town.

    Bob Pessek
    High Rock Way, Allston

    1. Typical comment of a grumpy old Bostonian. “If you don’t like something here, get out!”. Furthermore, I don’t understand why anyone outside the ages of 18 to 25 lives in Allston.

       Boston is NOT a world class city due to the things you mention (medical facilities, colleges, etc.). Those things do not attract people to live here. I know people that completed a residency at MGH to have it on their resume. They were bored after only a year here and left. And so many of our college student flee to world class cities like NYC and LA once they graduate.

       It’s time for a change! And it can’t hurt to try a pilot program.

       1. Joe writes: “Furthermore, I don’t understand why anyone outside the ages of 18 to 25 lives in Allston.” It’s juvenile and very insulting to the many people who are working hard to make Allston a real neighborhood and home to all demographics. That clueless statement alone discredits the rest of the posting.

84. I support this legislation in part. I agree that certain areas of the city need more discretion to attract business and improve our city’s image for conventions and entertainment.

    My concern is that Boston is a very blended city with residential and commercial. As one who lives in a business area where there are ample bars and college students, I am concerned about my safety and quality of life should the establishments near my apartment building be open this late.

    I would like to see more deliberate language regarding the types of establishments or the location of such establishments.

    1. If this legislation moves forward, it almost certainly will include, as you suggest, “more deliberate language”. As written, the authorization for later hours is unnecessarily broad.

85. As a mid-twenties resident of the greater Boston area I do support extending the business hours. Later closings would allow for people to leave on their own time (many probably at or before 2am) and not rush crowds into the streets right after last call. The crowds of mostly intoxicated people leads to conflicts when taxis can’t meet the sudden demand of everyone trying to get home.

    I know first hand of some New Yorkers that have visited Boston and find it to be juvenile that there is basically a city-wide 2am curfew. I tend to agree with them.

86. As a lifelong Allston/Brighton resident I would prefer it if the liquor licences would not be changed to a later hour for the Allston/Brighton area regardless of T access. This is a diverse residential area WITH MANY FAMILIES which should receive the same care and respect that our neighboring towns and cities receive. (Watertown, Brookline, Newton,& Cambridge) Those choosing to stay out late can easily go downtown(Boston)to relax and unwind.

87. Will, I support this bill as I think local communities are in the best position to determine what works for them. For example, the scenes at the Marriot Hotel Bar in the Seaport and Society on High in the financial district are VERY different than college bars in Allston/Brighton.

    1. I do support local self-determination and if the Mayor and the City Council come forward with a consensus plan I am very likely to support it. However, there is no such plan. On the contrary, there appears to be wide disagreement about how this should look in Boston.

88. Is there anything that allows a municipality to create specific areas where the legislation or any part of it is allowed and to create other areas where none of the legislation or just parts of the rules are not allowed?

    I appreciate this notice, Will.

    1. The legislation is completely silent on how municipalities should go about using their powers to extend hours. That’s really the problem.

89. I agree with some of the comments here,
    esp. those pointing out that, at least to date, the Seaport is a much different scene, much less rowdy, than Allston Brighton or Kenmore.
    That may change as families move to the Seaport.
    As an Audubon Circle resident and activist for 40 years, with students and Red Sox fans here, who do tend to be rowdy, I cannot support extending bar hours in this residential area or any other. Also, I completely agree with the writer who stated
    that Boston does not need later closing hours for bars to be a world-class city. It clearly already is.

    1. When you say Boston “clearly already is” a “world-class city,” I must confess that I haven’t a clue what you mean. There is clearly a demand for later hours in Boston, which you don’t want because you disapprove of people staying out late. We all know that’s the real reason. Stop pretending it’s for “families” and own up to what’s really happening here – Puritanism.

90. As a street performer who depends solely on Boston’s nightlife scene, I support this bill immensely. This bill also gives local businesses more flexibility in terms of needing an entertainment license, which would open up so much more opportunity for local musicians and DJs who are starving for gigs.

91. This city needs to extend bar hours. I am a young entrepreneur in Boston and the largest struggle we have is identifying young talent to join the company.

    Older adults cannot see it but most of the college demographic leaves Boston for New York City, which has become “the world-class city.” Young companies are making Boston great. We are the reason the Sea Port has become the new Sea Port, we are the ones that use the MBTA system. We are the ones that work late hours Monday-Friday and even Saturday in all the big banks and consulting firms. We brought the Food Trucks that everyone in the city loves. It is because of us Boston has become so great in the past years.

    To label the majority of Boston citizens that take part in the night life “rowdy” is extremely frustrating. Extending hours even just one more hour would not change the way people behave at night or make the situation any worse. The majority of the city wants bars to be open later they just don’t get represented fairly at city hall.

    I think it’s time to give the group that truly runs this city something they want and frankly deserve for all the work they put in every day. It won’t hurt anyone.

92. As usual, Massachusetts is re-inventing the wheel. The world is already filled with cities that have later closing hours, and indeed some cities where there are no closing hours at all. The results? Cats and dogs living together? Mass hysteria? Of course not. Nothing happens. The world keeps turning, late licenses are extended to establishments in suitable locations with suitable precautions taken, and grown adults who want to go out later can do so.

    In Berlin there are 24-hour entertainment licenses. The dancing goes on all night, and indeed into the following day, and the impact on “families” is nil because families DON’T DO TO DANCE CLUBS.

93. Please do not extend the open hours for bars and clubs in Boston. Areas do not become more ‘vital ‘ after 2PM, they become loud and out of control. Actually, nothing is gained for the communities when people are given more time to become intoxicated. The police in these areas will bear this out. This will make bar and club owners happy but virtually no one who is trying to live there. I live at the W residences and we have had many problems with shootings, knifings and even murder. We do not go out on Fri. And Sat. night unless we can be home by 11PM as a result.

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