Competing Bids for O’Toole’s and The Great American Pub Spark Selectmen Debate and Threats of Lawsuits
A high-stakes legal battle is brewing between two restaurant developers vying for the town’s last remaining all-alcohol liquor license. Town selectmen voted last night to schedule competitive hearings in two weeks to weigh applications from James H. Shane, developer of the proposed O’Toole’s restaurant on Carnegie Row off Route 1, against The Great American Pub, which aims to open a new dining establishment behind Syms on Route 1.
The showdown immediately turned contentious as legal counsel for The Great American Pub urged selectmen to throw out O’Toole’s application. Attorneys John J. Mulvehill and Brian Gilligan argued that O’Toole’s submission was invalid ab initio because the business lacked a required zoning special permit—needed due to its location in a manufacturing district—at the exact time of application. Furthermore, Mulvehill warned that his client would file a lawsuit against the town if the license were awarded to O’Toole’s, a stance backed by an advisory opinion from Town Counsel Michael Lehane, who agreed that permits should precede license bids.
Conversely, O’Toole’s attorney, James Hilliard, defended his client’s standing, noting that Shane successfully secured his special permit from the zoning board of appeals and that O’Toole’s filed its application well before its competitor. Selectman John Kinnaly sharply rebuffed the legal challenges against O’Toole’s, lashing out at outside attorneys: “The policy of the board is made by the board, not by the town counsel, not by outside attorneys.” Ultimately, selectmen voted 3-1 to allow O’Toole’s application to remain active, with Selectman Chairman Gary Lee casting the lone dissenting vote.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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Two Norwood Restaurants Lock Legal Horns Over Town’s Final Available Liquor License-August 8, 1990
With competing applications from O’Toole’s on Carnegie Row and The Great American Pub off Route 1, Norwood selectmen voted 3-1 to proceed with hearings despite legal threats from rival attorneys over zoning technicalities.
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Selectmen Deadlock on License for Proposed Taco Bell-August 9, 1989
Norwood selectmen deadlocked 2-2 on a food license for a proposed $1 million Taco Bell showcase at Route 1 and Dean Street, pitting Chairman John Kinnaly against William Butters and Gary Lee.
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Norwood-Walpole Line Shopping Center Plans Unveiled-July 13, 1973
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Housing Authority Forced to Abandon Two Sites for Low-Income Family Housing-August 7, 1970
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Norwood and Canton Pitched for $50 Million NASA Research Center-August 1, 1963
Led by Albert P. Nelson and Roe P. Hendrick, the Neponset Valley Committee for Industrial Development presented a 50-page brochure pitching Norwood and Canton to NASA for a $50 million electronic research center.
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