FARMINGTON — Selectmen approved a new liquor license for The Company restaurant off Front Street after listening to concerns voiced by four abutting businesses.

Applicants Jon and Lois Bubier sought the license for an “upscale place” that will offer a small menu of food made from locally grown ingredients and 24-speciality beers and liquors.

During a public hearing held by selectmen Tuesday, John Moore, owner of Narrow Gauge Cinema, challenged selectmen to hold a high standard and be willing to pull the license if it becomes a drink and drown bar that spills out into the parking lot.  The cinema parking lot is directly behind Bubier’s building now being constructed at 103 Narrow Gauge Square.

A good restaurant and bar is fine but a bad bar can bring the neighborhood down, he said.

Moore also raised concerns about potential outside seating near the theater parking area where young teens are going in and out of the theater. He suggested the plan needed to go back to the Planning Board.

Code Enforcement Officer Steve Kaiser told the board the plan had been approved but a couple members would like an update on the project. Plans can change as the project unfolds, he said.

Bubier, a selectman himself who abstained from the board during the discussion, assured Moore that he wanted an “upscale place” with no brawling parties.

“I don’t want that environment,” he said. “I’m not investing for the short term. I want to be a good neighbor. If there are problems, pull the license.”

The plan includes a 15- by 30-foot outside seating area.

Janet Washburn representing a nearby art gallery and Nina Gianquinto from UpFront and Pleasant Gourmet Shop also questioned the amount of parking available.

Bubier said he has an agreement to lease parking spaces near the lot but refrained from stating where until the agreement is completed. While many businesses are laying off and closing, downtown business growth is a trade-off between growth and parking, he said.

The parking issue does not come under the liquor license application, Select Chair Stephan Bunker said.

Four selectmen voted to approve the license with Bubier abstaining.

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