After a three-hour public hearing regarding Boon Street Market’s model of business, the Narragansett Town Council voted unanimously to approve the renewal of their liquor license on Monday.
The approved motion included restrictions that require live music to end at 9 p.m., indoor music to end at 11 p.m. and that the current liquor license in effect until 1 a.m. will be revisited in four months.
The vote was initially supposed to take place at the Nov. 18 meeting where the council met to renew all Narragansett business liquor licenses, according to council member Ryan Torrealday. Due to the heavy controversy over Boon Street, the council voted 3-2 to push the vote until the new council was sworn in.
During Monday’s two-hour-long open comment period, residents, restaurant goers and staff members of Boon Street Market expressed a mix of support and concern for the business, sharing personal stories, videos and images as a way to voice their opinions.
A particular issue that was cited during the session included Boon Street Market’s decibel level violations, in that the establishment had gone over its limit on multiple occasions. Further concerns covered topics such as irresponsible drinking, risks to nearby families utilizing recreational spaces next to the restaurant, condensed traffic, littered cans and trash branded with Boon Street Market’s logo, and disruptive lighting and light pollution.
Speakers consistently expressed that, while they do not wish for the establishment to shut down, regulations should be consistently met and revised for the safety of others.
“I’m truly happy to have this establishment in our area,” Emily Levy said, a third-generation homeowner in Narragansett. “However I do believe that the way it’s being run, and the late hours and lack of sufficient parking are creating significant issues for residents, particularly those of us that live so close-by and year-round. I don’t believe, especially late-night, that it’s being run in a family-friendly manner.”
Other community members stated that irresponsible drinking and other safety issues should not be attributed to the restaurant’s business model.
“Your fight is with University of Rhode Island and University of Rhode Island students, not with the owners of this establishment,” said community member Stephen Cicilline.
Cicilline said that by restricting regulations further and pushing the community out of late-night bars, the loud noise and partying would instead migrate to the residential neighborhoods.
Lindsay Holmes, one of the owners of Boon Street Market, said that this was the third town council to review Boon Street Market’s business model, and that she wants to reach a compromise between the community and the business. In addition to changes that have already been made to combat issues, including increased police detailing, additional trash cans and work to increase parking and transportation, Holmes said that they are seeking further construction of a pergola over the patio to combat sound.
“We have a lot of growing pains, but I stand before you in saying… I specifically spoke on not focusing on one demographic, but focusing on all of them [before opening the restaurant],” Holmes said.
Community members also expressed the benefit they believed Boon Street Market to serve the community since opening.
“We have friends and business and jobs that go late into the night,” Nicole Lucas, another Narragansett resident, said. “We are not satisfied as a living community who wants to go out and socialize with a nine o’clock call time and a 10 o’clock closure. It’s not really realistic to the majority of people who are trying to live and grow here.”
Despite the “growing pains” that Holmes and other speakers cited in the meeting, some residents believe that the ongoing discourse and efforts of compromise may serve as a lesson to other neighborhoods experiencing the same expansion and growth.
“I believe in Narragansett you can be pro-business and pro-resident,” Sylvia Spears, a resident living on Boon Street, said. “I believe that there is common ground to be found here…It makes me sad that this is what it comes to: with people on one side of the room, people on the other, people who are stickered, people who are not stickered, because I believe Narragansett is better than that.”
The meeting was adjourned over five hours later at 12:45 a.m. after an executive session that lasted for about an hour.
The next Narragansett Town Council meeting will take place on Monday, Dec. 16.