Route 9 Liquor Store Gets OK Despite Neighborhood Objection

The intersection of Route 9 and Hammond Street will soon to be home to no fewer than three liquor stores, much to the chagrin of nearby neighbors.

Brookline selectmen have given GPS Wine & Spirits the go-ahead to move from its current Coolidge Corner location to a stretch of Route 9 long plagued by traffic and parking problems. Neighbors have strongly objected the move, saying it will only worsen the situation.

In an effort to address neighbors' concerns, owners Tom and Jason Williams have agreed to add three spaces at the rear of the store, located at 1198 Boylston St., to the three already included in their lease. They've also arranged to combine their deliveries with the Met Club restaurant, and Tom Williams promised neighbors he would send away any truck that blocks residents' driveways or parks on sidewalks.

Williams told selectmen his store would be unlike the two nearby wine shops, Winestone and Urban Grape, selling lower-end beer and liquor as well as a small selection of wine. He said he wouldn't be offering the kinds of specialty and high-end wines sold at Winestone.

"It's a totally different operation than we run," he said. "We're an everyday type of store."

But neighbors were skeptical, saying the neighborhood wouldn't benefit form another liquors store, especially one likely to bring more traffic and parking to nearby residential streets. Many blamed the Met Bar, a nearby restaurant whose valet service has long angered residents, for making it impossible for new businesses to provide adequate parking to customers.

"I think it's really important to send a message to this landlord that there is a responsibility to ownership, and that they should consider an entire group of stores and not just one particular enterprise," said Janice Kahn, a Precinct 15 Town Meeting member.

Neighbors also raised doubts about whether the Met Club would actually relinquish the six spaces to the store, and whether customers would be likely to use a parking lot located at the rear of the building, away from the store's entrance.

But several selectmen noted that the town has generally not required liquor stores in Brookline to provide dedicated parking, saying it would be unfair to hold GPS liquor to a new standard.

"We've allowed a lot of liquor stores in Brookline, and we've never asked about parking," said attorney Bobby Allen, a former selectmen who now represents GPS Liquors.

And some selectmen suggested that a liquor store, which is licensed by the town and must come before the board for annual renewals, would be more accountable to neighbors than other types of business. Some pointed to the store's brief history in Coolidge Corner and gave the owners credit for trying to address parking concerns around their new location.

"They've been good neighbor and in their dealings here they've proved themselves to be good neighbors," said Selectwoman Jesse Mermell.

Selectmen are expected to address any new neighborhood concerns again when GPS liquors comes up for a license renewal again at the end of the year.