Somerville officials are awaiting final approval of a bill that would allow the number of liquor license in the city to nearly double.

All of the city’s 82 liquor licenses are currently assigned, said Jaclyn Rossetti, deputy communications director, and developers are looking for more to continue the construction boom seem recently in areas like Assembly Square.

“Somerville’s growth is going to continue. We’ve become somewhat of a foodie destination and restaurants can’t thrive without liquor licenses,” she said.

A bill sponsored by Sen. Patricia Jehlen, D-Somerville, would authorize 65 new licenses to be dispersed throughout designated growth areas in the city, including dining and entertainment hot spots like Assembly Square, Union Square and Davis Square, Rossetti said.

The state House of Representatives agreed Thursday, July 7 to move forward with Jehlen’s version of the bill and is awaiting a signature from Gov. Charlie Baker.

The sheer number of licenses that would be awarded to the city through this bill is atypical, but necessary for Somerville keep up with development, Rossetti said.

“We’re requesting this many additional licenses so we won’t have to go through the entire legal process again soon. It can take quite some time,” she said.

Local lawmakers agreed the city, which spans four square miles, was experiencing an expanding economy.

"We have the new economy, which as you probably know is made up of arts, culture and entertainment, and that includes craft beers and food," Somerville Rep. Denise Provost testified at the committee hearing, according to the State House News Service. "Somerville has become a restaurant destination. It is our big growth sector."

Jehlen told colleagues on the Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee last September that the city only had five licenses left and said the request for 65 licenses was reasonable and would help small businesses.

"If you visit Somerville you will discover that there is apparently an unlimited appetite for eating out, and hopefully drinking as well," Jehlen testified, inviting her colleagues to explore Somerville's restaurant scene. "We have come back consistently to this committee over the years asking for additional licenses so while 65 may sound like a lot it will keep us from coming back to you next year."

Rep. Steven Howitt of Seekonk expressed concern that the bill's passage could "open up the floodgates for other communities to come in and say we'd like 25licenses, just to have in case we're looking at development in the future."

Provost and Jehlen both said that though Somerville is densely populated, with about 80,000 residents, it lacks a strong industrial tax base, making the meals tax a crucial source of local revenue as the city becomes known for its dining options.

Follow Erin Tiernan on Twitter @ErinTiernan.

State House News Service contributed to this article.