By Dan Murphy
A beer garden could be coming this summer to usher in a newly renovated Copley Square Park, according to an applicant who came before the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay Licensing and Building Use Committee at its March 3 virtual meeting.
A site plan for Copley Square Park, which is now undergoing extensive renovations.
Beth-Anne Grassa, business operations manager for the Boston Parks & Recreation Department, said Hyde Park-based Roundhead Brewing Company intends to operate the beer garden in the park from June 20 to July 13, using a series of single-day licenses over the three-week period. The proposed beer garden would be located inside a raised grove, with an expected maximum capacity of around 90, she said.
Additionally, the beer garden would be within a cordoned-off area, which would be open to families, but patrons over 21 would need to get their hands stamped to drink there.
Roundhead, which is Massachusetts’s first Latino-owned brewery, operated beer gardens at six Boston parks last summer into the fall, spending three weeks at each location. No complaints were reported at any of the locations, said Grassa.
“We’re not looking for a Bud Light party deck,” she added. “We’re not looking for a night club. This is really a way to get people from the neighborhood together”
While the proposed hours of operation have yet to be determined, the beer garden could run from Wednesday through Sundays. Hours could vary from day to day, said Grassa, but the beer garden would likely not be open on any night past 9 p.m. The beer garden also likely wouldn’t open before 3 p.m. during the work week, but it could open as early as noon on some weekend days.
Roundhead would bring in its tables and chairs for patrons, as well as handle trash removal at the end of each business day. “Beer food” would also be available for purchase, said Grassa, while live entertainment is also being considered.
Elliott Laffer, a member and past chair of the LBU Committee, expressed concern about the tentative plans for live entertainment at the beer garden.
“We’re just getting the park back,” said Laffer. “I’m not sure entertainment here is what we want to start.”
And with crowds of up to 400,000 expected to descend upon the Back Bay on July 4, Laffer anticipates occupancy at the beer garden could also be an issue.
Grassa replied that the beer garden could perhaps close earlier on July 4, before the fireworks start. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” she added.
Laffer also questioned whether the raised grove would be able to support the trailer for operations, which Roundhead intends to leave on site for the three-week duration of the beer garden’s run.
Grassa said she would bring that concern to the parks commissioner and the project planning team.
In another matter, the commission heard a proposal from The ‘Quin House, a private social club located at 217 Commonwealth Ave., to add a second trash pickup from 4 to 6 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays.
This requested change would require modifying the Good Neighbor Agreement that The ‘Quin House has with NABB, according to Conrad Armstrong, committee chair.
Matthias Kiehm, managing director, said The ‘Quin House currently has trash pickup Monday through Saturday, usually at 7 a.m., with no collection on Sunday per the terms of the good neighbor agreement.
Nancy Wilson, who lives on the alley where trash is collected from The ‘Quin House, said the noise impact from its collections was already burdensome to neighbors and asked if the trash collection time could be moved to 8 a.m. instead.
Keihm responded that he would look into Wilson’s request but added that he could make “no guarantees.”
Another neighbor, Annie Youssoufian, said she strongly opposed allowing The ‘Quin House any additional trash pickups.
“Modifications should be on them and not on the neighborhood,” said Youssoufian. “The noise level is just none stop. It’s gone from a residential to almost a commercial area…and we need to put a stop to these changes because they are affecting us.”
Despite Keihm’s assertion that trash barrels at The ‘Quin House are now overflowing by Monday mornings, Laffer said, “I, for one, would need a lot more convincing that a second trash pickup makes a lot of sense.”
Armstrong suggested allowing The ‘Quin House to have one additional trash collection on Saturdays as a possible compromise.
The commission also heard about plans for Nana’s Green Tea, which proposes transforming a retail space at 175 Newbury St. into a sit-down restaurant with take out.
The restaurant would have a 21-person occupancy, and its proposed hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. It has no plans to sell alcoholic beverages while entertainment would be limited to pre-recorded background music, said owner and operator, Patrick Siu.
Nana’s would offer a “Japanese-inspired concept” featuring a finely powdered green tea called matcha, along with “matcha-type” dishes, such as a chewy rice-ball dish, said Siu.
Siu, who said he operates two other Boston-area restaurants and has been in that industry for 20 years, added that cooking on site would be largely limited to reheating frozen food, and that no ventilation would be required.
Consequently, Siu expects Nana’s would generate significantly less trash than neighboring restaurants, with Joe’s on Newbury on one side and The Capital Burger on the other. (Nana’s would have a marked dumpster in the rear, said Siu.)
Armstrong encouraged Siu to use the front loading dock for deliveries, if possible.
In another matter, Elizabeth Pisano, an attorney for the longstanding Bauer Wines, outlined that business’s intention to move from 330 Newbury St. to 255 Newbury St., between Fairfield and Gloucester streets.
At 1,074 square feet, the proposed new parlor-level location “would allow for a much more affordable rent,” said Pisano, while Bauer’s would continue to operate during the same hours and stock the same items there.
Meanwhile, Armstrong told the applicants he would inform them of NABB’s position on their respective applications (i.e. to oppose or not oppose) at the end of next week.