Winchester Declines Liquor License Request

A new liquor store will not be setting up shop on Main Street. The previous decision to grant L&C Beverages, Inc. a liquor license was recently reversed by the Winchester Board of Selectmen.

Meng Chaun Lin and Kwan Chan will not be moving into the location on 808 Main Street after their bid to buy a liquor license from Winchester Wine & Spirits was shot down. Back in June, selectmen unanimously approved the license transfer from the former package store, which closed in November.

Residents appealed the decision to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, the Boston Globe reports. The appeal was returned to Winchester, highlighting a “typo on the legal advertisement for the June public hearing.”

On Monday, the board voted 3 to 2, reversing their previous decision.

“Neighbors didn’t think a liquor store was the best commercial use for the adjacent residential area,” Town Manager Richard Howard told the newspaper.

The selectmen’s vote may be appealed. Lin and Chan have not decided on their next course of action, according to their lawyer, Scott Lakin.

The two also own liquor stores in Charlestown, Dorchester and South Boston.

“Residents are very energized because they see a bright future for the North End neighborhood,” one local resident told the newspaper.