Who Wants a Full Liquor Restaurant License? The City Has 1

City officials are going out of their way to announce the fact that the city has one all-alcohol restaurant license available and it's up for grabs at a fraction of the cost licenses normally trade at.

A press release from the Peabody Licensing Board Wednesday morning said the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission (ABCC) has confirmed that the license is now available. And applicants would only need to pay the annual city fee plus application fees -- that all amounts to about $2,500.

This particular license was previously marketed by the license holder in the neighborhood of $150,000-$200,000 and comes by way of resolution of a legal challenge to the board's decision in 2010 to finally revoke the unused license.

Board members were fed up with having the license in limbo for more than two years and broken promises from Richard Marchese, as he tried to secure one project after another for a Route 1 development site, and so finally revoked his license.

Marchese appealed to the ABCC and the issue has gone back-and-forth until now.

Applications can be found under “Retail Forms” at the ABCC's website. The license is available on a first-come first served basis, and only complete applications will be considered, says the board.

Applications must include an original and a copy of all documents required by the ABCC as well as a check payable to the "City of Peabody" for $50. The annual license fee to the city is $2,250, which is payable upon approval by the ABCC.

The Peabody Licensing Board can also be reached at 978-538-5717.