Neighbors urge rejection of cabaret license for Dive Pint Size at 250 Lark Street

Albany Common Council held a public hearing April 29 on an application by Brew LLC, doing business as Dive Pint Size at 250 Lark Street, for a year-long cabaret license. Neighbors gave several minutes of testimony opposing the license because of amplified music, late-night events and perceived impacts on nearby homes; the applicant, owner August Rosa, said the venue would continue small-scale trivia and karaoke and that the application was submitted after a Planning Department recommendation. The hearing was closed with no final decision; the application will proceed through routine departmental review.

The most immediate concern voiced by residents was noise that they say comes from the bar’s event nights. Dan Buchanan, who identified himself as living at 229 J Street next to Dive, said he was "here today to express my strong opposition to the license approval" and told the council the bar's karaoke "frequently continues past" the midnight cutoff. Buchanan said sound travels through a boarded-up window into his backyard and that bass from music "literally rattled our windows, to the point where we feared that they could shatter or break." Other neighbors echoed those concerns: Monica Gray said "amplified music is such a different thing" than ordinary street noise and warned that "another competing sound system would just be too much," and Roger Gray urged the council not to turn Lark Street into "Albany's new entertainment district."

The applicant, August Rosa, described the space and his intentions to the council. Rosa said the establishment's maximum occupancy is 49 and that the total interior area is "about 800 square feet," with a smaller 12-by-15-foot side room where trivia and karaoke occur. He told the hearing the business currently does "one to two events a week, primarily trivia and karaoke," and that he does not intend a return to full-scale live music: "this isn't gonna come anywhere near a full scale music venue situation." Rosa said he had boarded and insulated the rear window and instructed staff to keep the door closed during events to limit sound bleed, adding that he applied for the cabaret permit "on recommendation of the planning department to eliminate the confusion" over when a permit is required.

Speakers also raised related quality-of-life and safety concerns. Michael Leahy, a renter on Jay Street who works at Lark Hall, described daytime loitering and public sanitation issues around the corner from the bar, citing "trash, public urination, and defecation" and asking whether enforcement tools or anti-loitering measures could address those problems. Several residents referenced police activity at nearby venues such as Out of Town Bistro and asked the council to consider cumulative effects of multiple music- or entertainment-permitted businesses on the block.

City staff and Council Member Richard Conte confirmed procedural and technical details on the record. The clerk recorded that the application packet included the cabaret ordinance and that the review process will include the Albany Police Department, Law Department, Planning Department, Division of Building and Regulatory Compliance, Albany Fire Department and Council Member Conte. The applicant agreed to provide an emailed copy of his New York State liquor license for the file. The public hearing was closed at 4:39 p.m.; council members did not take a vote or rule at the meeting.

What happens next: the application will move through the city’s standard interdepartmental review; any enforcement history or code issues will be reflected in those departments’ reports and in a future council action if one is scheduled.