Section 17C. Any city or town, which has accepted the provisions of section seventeen A of chapter one hundred and thirty-eight of the General Laws, as appearing in section two of chapter three hundred and seventy-seven of the acts of nineteen hundred and seventy-eight, prior to January first, nineteen hundred and eighty-five, is hereby authorized to grant, in addition to and irrespective of any limitations of the number of licenses contained in section seventeen, additional licenses under section twelve but subject to all other provisions of this chapter.