Cisco Brewers Asked to Hold 1,425 People in the Seaport. The Licensing Board Gave It 1,200, and a Fields Corner Bakery Got a Liquor License

The Boston Licensing Board on Thursday allowed Cisco Brewers to raise the capacity of its Seaport venue at 85 Northern Ave. from 996 people to 1,200, short of the 1,425 the company had requested, according to coverage of the board's Oct. 29 voting session by Universal Hub and The Boston Report.

The increase of 204 people amounts to about 20.5% over the previous limit. The board granted about 84% of the capacity Cisco sought, leaving 225 spots unapproved, The Boston Report calculated. A full approval would have meant a 43.1% increase.

Cisco's request came with the backing of other city agencies. The Inspectional Services Department and the Boston Fire Department had already approved an occupancy of 1,425, according to Universal Hub. At a hearing the day before the vote, the Seaport Neighborhood Association asked the Licensing Board to hold off so residents and Cisco could keep talking about noise from music, lines of customers waiting to get in, and traffic. The licensing board's 1,200 limit takes precedence over the other agencies' figure.

Brendan Doherty, speaking for the association, told the board, "I think the neighborhood loves Cisco," and added, "I don't think we're asking for 7 months here," Universal Hub reported. He said the group was not opposed to an expansion but wanted "a little bit more time to work out those issues." Board members said Cisco had shown good faith by lowering its request from 1,425 and by working with its landlord, WS Development, to secure an on-site unloading area that gets delivery trucks off the congested road. They agreed with Cisco attorney Dennis Quilty that the company needed an answer now, even though the venue is closed for the season, so it can plan next year's events.

Chair Kathleen Joyce described the request as "a business detail that really needs to be sorted out and lined up in order to plan for next year," according to Universal Hub, and said, "I do believe Cisco will continue to work with the neighborhood association." The board then approved the 1,200 figure.

Joyce also thanked the neighborhood group, saying it had "done a lot of work with Cisco" and had been open to considering requests "that are not exactly lined up with what their wishes are."

The board also approved Bottega Cannuccia, a business planned for 1448 Dorchester Ave. in Fields Corner that its owners describe as a morning bakery that turns into an afternoon teahouse and an evening small-plates restaurant, Universal Hub reported. The owners, Stefano Quaresima and Tsedenia Kiros, opened the Roman-style trattoria Via Cannuccia at 1739 Dorchester Ave. in 2023, several blocks away.

The new spot will use one of the city's neighborhood-restricted all-alcohol licenses for the 02122 ZIP code, according to the board's agenda as summarized by The Boston Report. Those licenses cannot be sold and return to the board if the business closes. Plans call for an occupancy of 35 people, 20 seats, about 1,050 square feet and a 9 p.m. closing time. The business will take over the former Home.stead Cafe space, about three-quarters of a mile from Via Cannuccia. Attorney Tyler Henseler told the board it "will be a French cafe-style restaurant" serving baked goods and breads in the morning, a tea service in the afternoon, and "wine, cocktails, and small plates" from dinner time on, Universal Hub reported.

Other items on the voting agenda included a request to move Flann O'Brien's closing hour from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m., a closing-hour change for the Seaport Shake Shack, and the transfer of the Blanchard's Jamaica Plain store license to Kappy's, according to The Boston Report.

The agenda also included a proposed transfer of the all-alcohol license held for a planned two-story Korean barbecue restaurant at 121 Harvard Ave. in Allston to a Taco Bell Cantina at 16 North St., across from Faneuil Hall, with 37 seats and a 2 a.m. closing time. Universal Hub reported before the vote that the chain behind the Allston project had given up on it and agreed to sell the license. The outcome of that vote had not been reported in the coverage reviewed for this article, and Boston Uncut did not find a posted decision.

Separately, the board was scheduled to decide whether to let the owners of Savin Bar + Kitchen and the neighboring Ghostpepper Taqueria at 112 Savin Hill Ave. in Dorchester sell both to restaurant manager Brendan Griffin, who told the board he plans no changes to the name, operations or hours, Universal Hub reported.

The meeting was one of the last led by Joyce, who has chaired the Licensing Board since 2018. Ava Callender Concepcion, a former acting chair of the state Cannabis Control Commission, takes over as chair on Nov. 4, under an appointment Mayor Michelle Wu announced this week. The change comes as the Wu administration is proposing zoning changes intended to cut the time it takes a new owner of an existing restaurant to open from four months to less than two weeks.

The board posts its voting results and hearing agendas on the city's website. Still unknown: whether Cisco will return to seek the remaining 225 spots, and whether the Taco Bell transfer was approved.