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Picking a winner in musical chairs can be tough: Licensing board holds off action on too many requests for too few liquor licenses

The Boston Licensing Board yesterday deferred any action on the 12 requests it had for a small number of valuable "all alcohol" licenses it suddenly got to dole out this year.

Thanks to the state legislature, the board started the year with the authority to issue 10 of these licenses, which can go for more than $300,000 on the open market. The board charges an annual licensing fee of $2,800 plus $1 per seat for the licenses.

The board will gain the authority to issue five more of these licenses next Jan. 1. In addition, the board has a larger number of restricted licenses for certain outer neighborhoods - that can't be resold.

Last week, the board granted four of the licenses. This week, it heard from 10 applicants in the North End and South Boston Waterfront, one in the Fenway and one in the Pru.

The board first has to determine whether there is a "public need" for granting a particular applicant a license. If that number still exceeds the number of licenses left, it will go by the date stamps on the applications to see who gets one.

In several cases this week, applicants already had licenses to serve beer and wine, but wanted to upgrade to an all-alcohol license, which would let them serve drinks made with hard liquor. In one case, the restaurant - Nicki Greek Kitchen, 132 Brookline Ave. - hasn't even opened yet, but still wanted to trade in its beer and wine license. Philip Frattaroli sought one for his existing pizza place on Causeway Street (he won a liquor license last week for his proposed Cunard Tavern in East Boston - but it's a restricted "neighborhood" license that cannot be resold).

The board could make its decisions at its next voting session this coming Thursday.

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