A report in the Somerville Journal is suggesting that shuttered Union Square rock club Radio is unlikely to re-open. The live music venue at 379 Somerville Ave. has been closed since November, when an electrical fire set off a sprinkler system, casing water damage between its two floors. Now nearly two months later, there is a demand for Radio’s liquor license.
In a January 31 story in the Somerville Journal about the city’s lack of liquor licenses and the abundance of applicants, the paper reports that Radio’s “all-forms” license will soon be in new hands.
Although Somerville received additional liquor licenses for Assembly Square last year, high demand for a small number of licenses remains a challenge for new and established business owners, as well as for Union Square redevelopment going forward.
This pressure was evident at the Somerville Licensing Commission’s Jan. 22 meeting, during which commissioners promised to revoke the shuttered Radio Bar’s all-alcohol license if the owners haven’t sold it by the commission’s next monthly meeting, and three business owners competed for the city’s one available beer and wine license.
The state has allocated 130 “all-forms” and “beer and wine” licenses to Somerville, a number determined by the city’s population. If Radio’s license is either revoked or sold by its owners, odds are the club will cease operation entirely, since it won’t easily be able to acquire a new one over time.
More info on Radio’s future as we get it.