The City Council endorsed a State Senate bill allowing municipalities to opt in to maintain extended last call hours and social distancing through the end of August. 

Sponsored by senators Barry R. Finegold and Julian Cyr, the bill extends the pilot program allowing for liquor license holders in designated Social Districts to stay open an hour later through July 31. Council President Liz Breadon said the bill would “keep the fun going” and create more opportunities during Boston’s busiest month for tourism.

“Given the struggles the hospitality industry has faced post-COVID with inflation and labor shortages, allowing Boston to continue with this pilot program and create more opportunities for our small businesses is a no-brainer,” she said.

She added that extending the pilot would allow the city to collect more data to influence future policymaking supporting the hospitality and tourism economy.

Councilor Brian Worrell, who put forth a similar home rule petition in late June, echoed that extending the pilot would help the City decide if enshrining this policy is viable in the long term. 

Councillors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy added that they would not object to the vote, but could not support the policy without more community engagement.

Flynn said that he has been approached by residents in the Downtown area who claim they were not given any opportunity to weigh in on the Licensing Board’s decision to extend hours in their neighborhood.

“It was just kind of rubber-stamped and approved,” he said. “Residents most impacted by this type of decision should be heard.”

In Boston, two districts have been set up at Union and Marshall Streets and on Temple Place, both in spitting distance of Downtown Boston. These districts allow residents and visitors to publicly consume alcoholic beverages and for liquor license holders to opt in to staying open an hour later, up to 3 a.m. Only bars and restaurants located within the Social Districts are allowed to sell for public consumption and are limited to one 16-ounce beverage per customer per transaction.

“These districts help us open our streets in a safe environment for residents and visitors to enjoy themselves, ‘sip and stroll,’ and make lasting memories in our beautiful city,” said Mayor Michelle Wu.

Councilor Sharron Durkan said she saw the Temple Place location bringing new vitality to the Boston Common and Downtown area. 

She added that there are a number of areas within her district the extended hours would not work for, but that the City should have more power over licensing decisions, with the Council weighing in on their individual districts.

“I believe that giving the city of Boston more optionality when it comes to what works for our businesses and our neighborhoods is helpful,” she said. “It’s been really exciting to see the vitality that has been brought from the World Cup, and with Sail Boston coming, it’s exciting to see what the City of Boston can do to continue that for local businesses.”

The Downtown Boston Alliance (DBA), which has managed the Temple Place location, said that the one-hour license extension and social districting are phenomenal new tools to support optionality in the hospitality industry.

“We have had a very positive experience with both changes so far – the DBA ourselves has managed Boston’s first social district on Temple Place in Downtown Crossing, while several of our restaurants have extended their hours. In both cases the businesses have been responsible for managing the change and have seen sales improve, which is good for our overall economic ecosystem,” said DBA President Michael Nichols. 

“We’d certainly want to see the changes made permanent – ideally by the end of the legislative session on July 31 – and we’d like to eventually see our Social District grow to support more restaurants and hotels within the downtown core through a larger footprint.“

The resolution passed with an eight-to-two vote, with Councilor Miniard Culpepper voting present. Should the bill pass the State Legislature, Boston will stand ready to keep the party going until September 1.