Votes at a glance: CB2 approves a slate of street‑activity permits; SLA committee recommends multiple 'deny' and 'deny unless' actions

Manhattan Community Board 2 on its July meeting voted on a package of street‑activity permit applications and received reports from the Community Board’s State Liquor Authority (SLA) committee. The board approved a number of street events while the SLA committee reported multiple denials and “deny unless” recommendations.

Streets and public events - The Streets and Activities presenter reported 16 applications and 13 FYI renewals. Approvals included community and neighborhood events such as the Cornelia Street block party (September) and a variety of plaza and curb‑lane permits. Several applications were denied; most notably a proposed Hot 97 / Denim Tears multi‑block block‑party on Spring Street (July 26) was denied. The presenter summarized the committee’s concern that what appeared to be a two‑block festival would create a precedent for multi‑block events the Office of Special Events has sought to avoid.

SLA committee recommendations - SLA Committee chair Donna Raftery reported 29 applications at SLA‑1 (July 1 meeting) with decisions issued on 14 applications; all decisions were unanimous at that meeting. A large share of those considered were recommended denied or denied unless stipulations were met. Examples include: Host on Howard (21 Howard Street) — deny unless; Max Brenner (841 Broadway) — deny unless; and several new on‑premise or class‑change applications in SoHo and the Bowery recommended as denials. - SLA‑2 (July 8 meeting) likewise reported decisions on 29 applications, with 18 decisions recorded. Several on‑premise and sidewalk‑seating alterations were recommended for denial unless stipulations were satisfied. The committee recorded unanimous decisions where noted.

Recusals and conflicts - During the street‑activity roll call votes, board members declared recusals on specific items: one member recused on a block‑party item where they serve on the applicant board; another recused because of a client relationship with an applicant. (These recusals were recorded before votes on the street‑activity slate.)

What this means - The street‑activity approvals allow a set of local events and plaza uses to proceed with CB2’s support, while denials and deny‑unless recommendations from the SLA committee will be forwarded to the State Liquor Authority as CB2’s advisory positions. Most SLA denials at these committee meetings were unanimous; applicants may return with revised applications or stipulations.

Ending - The board moved on after recording the package of street‑activity and SLA committee votes and adjourned after standard reports from elected‑official offices.