Meeting report · License Commission
Creating this report cost real money.
Help fund coverage →
License Commission — May 28, 2026
The meeting consisted primarily of standard permit approvals for seasonal festivals and minor administrative changes, with only minor safety inquiries raised.
Public impact
Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01
Europa safety and police access
Potential impact on emergency response times and public safety in a multi-story commercial building. Affected: Local residents and patrons of the 72 Merrimack Street area
safety change
Decisions logged
Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Approval of May 7th, 2026 minutes.
Motion by Commissioner Krieger, seconded by Commissioner Underwood.
Approved
Approval of Corey Belanger's one-day license for Town and City Festival II.
Motion by Commissioner Tang, seconded by Commissioner Underwood.
Approved
Approval of Ben Opara's special events permit for the African Festival.
Motion by Commissioner Krieger, seconded by Commissioner Mercier.
Approved
Approval of Robert Hunt's (Friends of Tyler Park) summer and autumn permits.
Motion by Commissioner Mercier, seconded by Commissioner Krieger.
Approved
Approval of Gregory Curtis's (Greek Festival) alcohol and entertainment permits.
Motion by Commissioner Tang, seconded by Commissioner Underwood.
Approved
Approval of Hina Bhat's (Viva Kite Flying Festival) entertainment permit.
Motion by Commissioner Tang, seconded by Commissioner Mercier.
Approved
Approval of Hector and Pastor Charlie Luna's youth services permit.
Motion by Commissioner Mercier, seconded by Commissioner Underwood.
Approved
Approval of Michael Hill's (Nexstein LLC) common fiddler license.
Motion by Commissioner Krieger, seconded by Commissioner Mercier.
Approved
Approval of DBA change for Masala Magic LLC to Adupti Bhavan.
Motion by Commissioner Mercier, seconded by Commissioner Krieger.
Approved
Approval of On the Bun LLC's request to alter premises for outdoor seating.
Motion by Commissioner Mercier, seconded by Commissioner Krieger.
Approved
Scheduling of public hearings for Simon's Convenience and Europa.
Hearings set for the June 11th, 2026 meeting.
Approved
Approval of James McDonald's (Lowell Summer Music Series) seasonal permits.
Motion by Commissioner Tang, seconded by Commissioner Krieger.
Approved
Topics discussed
Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
▶ 00:28 Approval of Minutes
The Commission reviewed and approved the minutes from the May 7th, 2026 meeting.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 00:43 Town and City Festival II License
Discussion regarding a one-day license for Corey Belanger to sell malt beverages and wines for the bicentennial celebration on June 20th.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 02:05 Lowell Summer Music Series Permits
Application for seasonal special events permits for amplified outdoor entertainment and one-day alcohol licenses for the 36th season at Boarding House Park.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 03:49 African Festival Permit
Application for amplified outdoor entertainment for the 25th annual African Festival at Sampas Pavilion.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 05:48 Friends of Tyler Park Permits
Application for amplified outdoor entertainment for summer concerts, an autumn market, and movie nights at Tyler Park.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 08:31 Greek Festival Permits
Application for three one-day alcohol licenses and amplified entertainment permits for the Holy Trinity Hellenic Orthodox Church.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 11:03 Viva Kite Flying Festival Permit
Application for amplified outdoor entertainment for a Father's Day kite flying fundraiser at Sampas Pavilion.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 13:37 Fifth Street Baptist Church Youth Services
Application for amplified outdoor entertainment for youth-led church services during the summer.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 15:03 Nexstein LLC Common Fiddler License
Application for a common fiddler license for a healthcare facility (Spectrum Healthcare) at 10 Technology Drive.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 17:15 Taste of India DBA Change
Application to change the DBA name from Masala Magic LLC/Taste of India to Adupti Bhavan.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 18:40 On the Bun LLC Premises Alteration
Public hearing regarding an application to alter licensed premises to include outdoor seating at -2 Merrimack Street.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 21:08 Public Hearing Requests
Requests for public hearings for Simon's Convenience (transfer/change of location) and Europa (new restaurant license).
Speakers: Unidentified speaker
Controversy & dissent
Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.
Potentially controversial issues
01
On the Bun LLC Premises Alteration
The application to add outdoor seating to a licensed premises can trigger neighborhood concerns regarding noise, sidewalk congestion, and loitering.
Board position: The board moved to approve the public hearing and the application after legal clarification.
low concern
02
Europa Liquor License Application
The application involves a 3rd-floor location which presents potential public safety and emergency access risks.
Board position: The board expressed caution regarding law enforcement access and ordered a police walkthrough before the next hearing.
medium concern
Community vs. board tension
Ready to share? AI-written accountability posts about this meeting's controversies.
View posts →
Action items
Who owes what, by when.
Conduct a walkthrough of the 3rd floor at 72 Merrimack Street to evaluate safety and police access for the Europa application.
Assigned: Police Department (represented by a speaker) · Due: Next week (before the June 11th meeting)
Notable statements
I'm requesting that the police department take a look into this setup as for safety, especially law enforcement... we had a problem for access for police getting in and out [on the 3rd floor] in the past. — Unidentified speaker · Discussing the Europa application for a 3rd floor liquor license. ▶ 22:50
Member positions
11 issues · 0 explicit · 0 inferred
Present
Approval of May 7th, 2026 minutes.
YES
✓
Approval of Ben Opara's special events permit for the African Festival.
YES
✓
Approval of Robert Hunt's (Friends of Tyler Park) summer and autumn permits.
YES
✓
Approval of Michael Hill's (Nexstein LLC) common fiddler license.
YES
✓
Approval of DBA change for Masala Magic LLC to Adupti Bhavan.
YES
✓
Approval of On the Bun LLC's request to alter premises for outdoor seating.
YES
✓
Approval of James McDonald's (Lowell Summer Music Series) seasonal permits.
YES
✓
Present
Approval of Ben Opara's special events permit for the African Festival.
YES
✓
Approval of Robert Hunt's (Friends of Tyler Park) summer and autumn permits.
YES
✓
Approval of Hector and Pastor Charlie Luna's youth services permit.
YES
✓
Approval of DBA change for Masala Magic LLC to Adupti Bhavan.
YES
✓
Approval of On the Bun LLC's request to alter premises for outdoor seating.
YES
✓
Present
Approval of Corey Belanger's one-day license for Town and City Festival II.
YES
✓
Approval of Gregory Curtis's (Greek Festival) alcohol and entertainment permits.
YES
✓
Approval of Hina Bhat's (Viva Kite Flying Festival) entertainment permit.
YES
✓
Approval of James McDonald's (Lowell Summer Music Series) seasonal permits.
YES
✓
Present
Approval of May 7th, 2026 minutes.
YES
✓
Approval of Corey Belanger's one-day license for Town and City Festival II.
YES
✓
Approval of Gregory Curtis's (Greek Festival) alcohol and entertainment permits.
YES
✓
Approval of Hector and Pastor Charlie Luna's youth services permit.
YES
✓
Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position.
Public comment
What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
2
Total speakers
2
Addressed
0
Partial
0
Not addressed
Attorney Michael Zane
Addressed
Representing Hector Ruben Rodriguez and Milagros Hernandez, the attorney requested approval to add outdoor seating to their existing restaurant license. He noted that their license had already been approved by the ABCC.
Key concern
Approval of an alteration to the licensed premises to include outdoor seating.
Board responseThe board questioned the necessity of City Council involvement and clarified the role of the Planning and Development Department. They subsequently moved to approve the public hearing and the application.
The board engaged with the legal counsel's clarification regarding the permit process and proceeded to approve the application.
James McDonald
Addressed
The series director for the Lowell Summer Music Series explained the logistics for their proposed beer garden. He noted that the setup is located in a bike rack area on French Street, is restricted to ages 21+, and was successful last season without issues.
Key concern
Providing information regarding the alcohol service setup and amplification permits for the upcoming music series season.
Board responseThe board asked for confirmation that bartenders would be TIP certified. Following this, they moved to approve the application.
The board held a discussion regarding the operation of the beer garden and granted approval for the permits.
Support coverage
Creating this report cost real money.
MeetingWatch attended, transcribed, and analyzed this meeting on its own dime. If this work is valuable to you, chip in to keep covering Lowell.
Follow Lowell
One email when a new report is published from the License Commission — or one weekly digest.
Report composed by
grok-4.3, gemma-4-26b, grok-4-fast, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning · analyzed 2026-05-29.