Framingham Selectmen Award Town's Final Beer and Wine License to Car Wash

Framingham Selectmen awarded the town’s final beer & wine license to Auto Bright Car Wash in downtown Framingham Tuesday night, August 4.

The vote was 4-1, with Selectmen Laurie Lee voting against the license.

Auto Bright Car Wash, at 105 Hollis Street, request a beer & wine license for its convenience store. It received the town’s 14th and final beer & wine license.

Framingham Town Manager Bob Halpin said that means if a business wanted to open in town, there are no more beer & wine licenses available.

A business however could get creative and purchase a license from another business to open a new business in Framingham.

Or a business would have to wait until the Town’s population crosses the 70,000 threshold, in which the Town of Framingham would be awarded an additional license.

Another option is to petition the legislature for a home rule petition to increase the number of licenses.

The state has a cap on the number of beer & wine and the number of all-alcohol licenses awarded to each city in town in the Commonwealth. It is a century-old cap created around prohibition. Massachusetts allows for 18 different type of liquor licenses. And there are 78 sections to chapter 138, the state’s laws overseeing alcohol.

In 2014, then Governor Deval Patrick proposed eliminating the cap on alcohol licenses and had support from more than a dozen mayors in the Commonwealth, including Boston’s mayor. The Massachusetts Senate passed a bill that would eliminate the cap, but the House didn’t.

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Founded in 1978 by Boris Kanieff, Auto Bright is still owned by Boris, along with his son Nick, who both attended last night’s public hearing at the Memorial Building.

Selectman Lee said she has traditionally been against beer & wine licenses for convenience stores and has voted against previous requests. She said because of that stance she voted against the request Tuesday night by Auto Bright Car Wash, even through she said she supported the downtown Framingham business. She noted she previously voted to award a used car license to that business.

Lee also said she wanted to hold on to the final and 14th beer & wine license as leverage, for a possible craft beer or wine store coming to Framingham.

This was the second time Auto Bright Car Wash had come before Framingham Selectmen requesting a beer & wine license. The previous request was denied with Selectman Jason Smith and former Selectman Ginger Esty supporting the license.

Smith, again, supported the request last night.

Selectman Cheryl Tully Stoll said she saw no reason not to support the license request.

She said the Kanieff family has spent a great deal of effort and money in that downtown neighborhood and the business is successful.

Framingham Town Meeting member George Lewis, who lives in Precinct 18 near the business, spoke against the awarding of the license during last night’s public hearing.

He said Tesoro Supermarket has a license and that there was not a need downtown. He also questioned the lack of parking at Auto Bright.

“I think enough is enough on the south side,” said Lewis about liquor licenses downtown.

But fellow “south side” business owner Lee Mencoboni, who owns and operates La Cantina Italiana restaurant and banquet facility on Route 135 spoke in favor of the Kanieff family being awarded the license.

“The south side needs all it can get. The south side has its hand full to bring people to this side of town,” said Mencoboni. He said it is a fight to get customers to cross Route 9 to come to businesses.

Mencoboni told Selectmen Auto Bright Car Wash had a 4.3 rating, out of a best of 5, on Yelp.

“This is a great business,” owned by “hard-working people” said Mencoboni.

“We should give them every opportunity to grow,” said Mencoboni

Framingham Town Meeting member Herb Chasan also spoke in favor of the license.

Chasan, who is the founder and President of Hoops & Homework, said Auto Bright’s owner have financially supported the after-school and summer program for families struggling in Framingham.

Chasan said it was a “win-win” to award the beer & wine license as it meant a business could grow and also help Hoops & Homework too.

Selectman Michael Bower said he was not concerned that the town issued its final beer & wine license in voting to approve Auto Bright’s request.

Earlier this summer Framingham Selectmen approved the town’s 13th license to Craft Beer Cellar at 328 Worcester Road and a beer and wine license to Nobscot Convenience on Edgell Road.