Allows municipalities to adopt ordinance to reduce population limit for certain alcoholic beverage retail consumption licenses.

S 2853 allows New Jersey municipalities to pass local ordinances gradually reducing the population threshold for issuing new alcohol retail licenses (for bars and restaurants). Currently, a municipality cannot issue new licenses once it reaches one license per 3,000 residents. Under this bill, a municipality can adopt an ordinance to lower this limit to one license per 2,000 residents over five years, with specific annual targets (3,000 → 2,800 → 2,600 → 2,400 → 2,200 → 2,000). This directly affects municipalities seeking to expand alcohol retail options by easing licensing restrictions.