The Number of Newtown Township’s Restaurant Liquor Licenses Is Over the Allowed Quota
According to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB), as of June 4, 2024, Newtown Township has 14 “Active” restaurant liquor licenses plus two “pending” (for Piccolo Trattoria and Oshi Restaurant) and two held in “Safekeeping” (for Blue Point Grille and KO Restaurant) for a TOTAL of 18 (see list below). This is more than two times the quota of 7 such licenses (1 license per 3,000 municipal residents) allowed by law (“Liquor Code”).
However, municipal authorities – e.g., Board of Supervisors (BOS) – can approve the transfer of licenses into the municipality in excess of the municipal quota. The approval must happen through written resolution passed at a public meeting. If a municipality refuses to allow a license transfer, the PLCB cannot transfer the license into that municipality.
More restaurants - and possibly Wawa - will be asking the BOS to approve transfer liquor licenses from other townships. This survey asks your opinion whether or not the BOS should approve any new liquor licenses in Newtown Township.