Albany public hearing opened on cabaret license for La Roca Restaurant and Lounge; applicant absent, resident opposes late-night DJs

Albany City Clerk Shaniqua Jackson opened a public hearing at 4:31 p.m. on a new cabaret license application for La Roca Restaurant and Lounge at 170 Delaware Avenue and said the applicant had not arrived.

The hearing covered the applicant’s submitted materials: the application lists interior square footage as “1,500 by 3,000 square feet,” an expected attendance of up to 150 people, a stated maximum occupancy of 99, a request for a one-year cabaret permit, and an on-file New York State liquor license with an expiration date of 01/03/2026. The application included a certificate of occupancy. Proposed hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday; proposed entertainment hours include evening hours on Thursday through Sunday. The application states designated security staff of two on Thursdays and Sundays and five on Fridays and Saturdays, that soundproofing is installed, and that a lower-floor room would be used as additional space.

During the public-comment portion, Daniel McKay, who identified himself as the owner and resident of 288 Morton Avenue, told the hearing he opposed late-night entertainment at the site because of the history of problems under prior operators. "Once they started having DJ's by 2013, 2014, it started to change," McKay said, saying nights were loud and the parking lot was left strewn with bottles and trash. He said police calls and incidents of violence increased during that period and that the neighborhood benefited when the activity subsided during 2020. "I vehemently am opposed to them having that, any type of late night, anything after 09:00," McKay said.

City Clerk Jackson said the application and the premise history report provided by the Albany Police Department will be made available to multiple city departments for review. She listed Building and Regulatory Compliance, Albany Police Department, the Law Department, the Planning Department, Alaska Fire Department, Albany Fire Department, and Common Council Member Sergio Adams as recipients of the application and supporting documents for departmental review and final determination.

The hearing was recessed for brief pauses while staff waited for the applicant; when the applicant did not appear the meeting proceeded. Jackson closed the public hearing at 4:46 p.m. and said the various departments would review the application and supporting documents to make a final determination.

No formal vote or final licensing decision was made at the hearing.