After 2 Years, State Grants Sudbury New Liquor License

SUDBURY, MA — The state Legislature recently granted Sudbury an additional liquor license, a process that has been going on since late 2019.

In early December 2019, the owner of the Meadow Walk mixed-use development asked the Select Board to begin the process of acquiring a new license. The town had no liquor licenses left a the time and Meadow Walk owner, Newton-based National Development, needed one for a restaurant proposed at the time, according to Select Board minutes.

The Town Meeting approved the new liquor license in May 2020, and the town then sent the measure to state Rep. Carmine Gentile. The bill got stalled in the Legislature, but was resubmitted in June. It passed the state Senate in early October.

According to the text of the bill, the new liquor license is specifically for "an establishment located in building 2, 3, 4 or 5 within the development known as Meadow Walk."

No business had applied for the license as of this week, according to a town spokesperson. However, the Hudson-based ice cream chain New City Microcreamery is set to move in to the development in the space formerly occupied by Peet's Coffee (it closed in 2020).

New City's Hudson location does contain a speakeasy in back. The business did not respond to an inquiry about a similar setup in Sudbury.