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Christopher Street cafe’s license bid laid over after neighbors cite signs, outdoor furniture and absentee principal
Summary
Community board members asked Ad Hoc Collective (13 Christopher St.) to return with the managing principal after residents and board members described repeated violations — signage in tree pits, outdoor seating left in sidewalk zones and inconsistent compliance — and requested 30 days to watch operations.
The Community Board 2 licensing committee laid over an application from Ad Hoc Collective LLC (1313 Christopher Street) after residents and committee members described a pattern of sidewalk‑furniture, signage and compliance problems at the cafe’s nearby properties.
Marquise Ngo, who presented for the applicant, said Ad Hoc has 17 interior seats and submitted letters of support and had removed sidewalk seating that had been used in past months. Committee members and many public commentators said the business had repeatedly placed sandwich boards, chairs and other items in the public‑use tree‑pit and pedestrian zone despite prior conversations with the board.
Neighbors said repeated 311 complaints had been necessary to get items removed. “There have been community objections to putting a license into a place that has never been licensed,” Leslie Clark of the West Village Residents Association told the committee, citing a steady rise in licensed storefronts in the area. Another neighbor, Nancy Paisley, said: “There have been for months and months and months, tables and chairs at the curb… the sign is still there. It is not in the tree pit. It's been at the curb.”
Members of the committee also pressed the applicant on who is the responsible principal and on stewardship of the sidewalk. The applicant said the managing member is out of state much of the time and that the operator on site is a manager who handles day‑to‑day operations; the committee asked that the listed principal be present or that the operating manager be formally listed and identified for the state liquor authority.
The committee instructed the applicant to return within 30 days with clearer documentation of who is the principal/manager on site and with evidence of compliance actions (removal of signs and outdoor furnishings, and confirmation of prior DOT/permit conditions). A committee member suggested a written stipulation and an opportunity for the principal to meet neighbors; the applicant said they would remove the sign immediately and would coordinate a return visit.
Why it matters: The hearing highlights recurring licensing issues in residential commercial corridors — sidewalk management, temporary outdoor furnishings and who holds responsibility for compliance when ownership or management is remote.
What’s next: The committee laid the matter over; the applicant agreed to return and to provide details on the managing member and remedial steps taken. This item will be reconsidered when the committee has proof of sustained compliance and the principal/manager’s presence or clear delegation.
