Residents Of Bergen Street And 13th Street Come Out Swinging At CB6’s Environmental Protection/Permits/Licenses Committee Meeting

The CB6 Environmental Protection/Permits/Licenses Committee meeting took place Monday, September 28 at the John Jay Education Campus at 237 7th Avenue (between 4th and 5th Streets).

The liquor permit/licensing section highlighted the tension between owners applying for licenses and those who live or own buildings on streets that they consider primarily residential blocks.

Many residents from Bergen and 13th Streets were present to express their concerns for three businesses applying for liquor licenses:

• Prema Sati Inc. at 447 Bergen Street (between 5th and Flatbush Avenues). This business is not open yet and plans to open in a former medical office. It is tentatively called Corner Delhi.

• Wasan at 440 Bergen Street (between 5th and Flatbush Avenues). Owner Toshiyuki Koizumi presented for the business which opened last month, and was featured in our brunch beat.

•  Paddy’s at 273 13th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues). Owners Mark Langton and Teresa Morgan Langton presented for this bar that has not yet opened. The previous tenant was Lucky 13.

A repeated response throughout the meeting concerning these three businesses was that the residents did not have a personal problem with these new applicants, but felt that too many bars and establishments selling alcohol were compromising the quality of life on these streets.

One tenant spoke about 447 Bergen Street, saying, “our concern is not specific to the applicant. Because our block is dark, foot traffic is minimal. Any kind of late night business will change the block.”

Although the motion to accept the license was passed by the committee, the owner agreed to closing windows by 9pm and removing outside benches as well.

In addition to residents, building owner Matthew Pintchik expressed his concerns about the quiet Bergen Street block. In an article by The Brooklyn Paper, Pintchik said, “we had to turn down a ton of business people who didn’t appreciate the aesthetic we were creating. We wanted it to be an eclectic community of stores.”

The dialogue became more heated when Koizumi presented for Wasan at 440 Bergen Street. One neighborhood resident, Michelle R., said, “at what point do we stop? Enough is enough, they’re pissy drunk. You can say that you’re going to teach them how to drink. But really all you want to do is make money.” She then proceeded to walk out of the meeting.

Michelle R. was referring to Koizumi’s explanation that his background as a sommelier would provide a chance to have classes in tastings of sake, wine, shōchū, and whiskey.

Once again, the motion to accept the license was passed, with the caveat that Wasan would stay open until 2am instead of 4am on weeknights.

Owners Mark Langton and Teresa Morgan Langton of the forthcoming Paddy’s on 13th Street received a strong pushback from residents. John, a resident who lives very close to the bar, explained that he had collected “70 signatures to oppose having a bar on the block. What little that we know, it has potential for trouble.”

The residents spoke of the negative relationship they previously had with the owner of Lucky 13, and a bar in that space would not work under any circumstances due to noise and patrons being loud on the street.

Another resident expressed that the owners “cannot control what customers do. Once they leave the bar, they will smoke, talk, and pee in the garden.”

The motion to accept the license was passed, with the caveat that the business would stay open until 2am on weeknights.

The Langtons hope to have a meeting with residents to try to smooth out the controversy.

Another subject of strong deliberation involved the liquor license for Oh Really Now LLC at 232 3rd Street  (between 3rd and 4th Avenues). The business will be a catering space in a largely industrial area. While customers would not regularly be in the space, a point was raised by a committee member if it was too close to an Islamic school nearby.

The ensuing dialogue was a subject of much of confusion — some of the lawyers were not standing with the applicants, rather sitting in the audience seats about 15 rows back. This led to questions as to whether they were residents supporting the business or if they were representatives of the business since their comments were strongly in support of the passing of the license.

A series of phone calls from the lawyers were then made during the meeting to find out whether the business was far enough away from the school. One lawyer said she confirmed the distance on the phone — 500 feet way and in accordance with the law. However, the committee still felt this wasn’t clear enough information.

The licensing request was not rejected, but tabled for the next meeting until specific details were confirmed.

Motions were passed quickly for applicants who had their businesses on 5th Avenue. The repeated comment was that 5th Avenue was a commercial street, so bars were more likely to be less of a residential bother there. In our area, these included:

• 506 5th Avenue (between 12th and 13th Streets). Mermaid Rodeo will replace The Fifth Estate — a transfer application. “This is a bar’s bar,” said one enthusiastic committee member.

• 315 5th Avenue (between 2nd and 3rd Streets). The new owners would replace the former ‘sNice space with a Tex Mex restaurant called El Habanero. The young and first time restaurant owners were described by their lawyer as “growing up around the business.”

These motions will now be brought to the general CB6 committee meeting. Ultimately, it is the decision of the New York State Liquor Authority to grant licenses. CB6 serves in an advisor role.

In addition to the licensing presentations, the Department of Sanitation section concentrated on the upcoming measures to recycle organics throughout the entire CB6 coverage area.

The DOS representative explained that organics (food waste) made up 30% of the waste stream. The sanitation costs are expensive due to the amount of water and weight of the waste. Residents will receive separate bins for recycling and will be notified by the Department of Sanitation when they are to be distributed.

Although there were a few questions for the DOS from the committee and attendees, the information was received with little issue.