Albany holds public hearing on cabaret license for Red Room at 337 Central Ave

Albany City Clerk Shaniqua Jackson opened a public hearing at 4:04 p.m. on a new cabaret license application for S and M Washington LLC, d/b/a the Red Room, at 337 Central Avenue in Albany.

The application filed by owners James Scott and Romario McDowell requests authorization for indoor and outdoor entertainment Wednesday through Sunday, with entertainment hours from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. The applicants listed expected attendance of up to 150 persons per event but provided a certificate of occupancy showing a maximum occupancy of 49.

The application lists planned entertainment including poetry nights, a disc jockey (DJ), karaoke and R&B showcases. Security staffing on the application is: two employees on Thursdays, two on Fridays, three on Saturdays and two on Sundays; the applicants said Wednesday events would have one or two security employees. Scott said the establishment’s interior is "about 900 square feet." The applicants said security will be performed by establishment employees, and they agreed to submit identification for those staff to the city clerk’s office for the application file.

Jackson noted the application includes a New York State Liquor Authority license expiring April 30, 2025, and asked the owners to provide an updated liquor license when available. The clerk also said the city’s records reflect a certificate of occupancy with time restrictions that list 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Scott said the State Liquor Authority had previously limited the establishment to 1 a.m. for a year and that the applicants understood they could operate under Albany’s ordinance allowing 4 a.m. once that restriction lifts. The applicants said they had not yet obtained an updated certificate of occupancy from the Department of Building and Regulatory Compliance.

Jackson said the city had requested a premise history report from the Albany Police Department; she said that report is on file and will be shared with reviewing departments. She listed the departments that will review the application: Albany Police Department, the law department, planning department, Division of Building and Regulatory Compliance, Albany Fire Department, and Common Council member Alfredo Balvin. No formal vote or license decision was taken at the hearing.

Scott noted on the record that this was the applicants’ third time applying for the cabaret license. Jackson closed the public hearing at 4:22 p.m., and she said the application and supporting materials will be submitted to the listed departments for further review and determination.