Neighbors press Community Board over late-night liquor hours and clustered sidewalk 'roadbed' cafes; multiple applications reviewed

The Community Board's liquor-license committee spent the bulk of its meeting on Sept. 16 reviewing new and altered liquor-license applications and several sidewalk- and roadbed-cafe proposals, with neighbors repeatedly urging earlier closing hours, strict enforcement of stipulations and in several cases an outright ban on outdoor seating.

The meeting saw two flashpoints: a proposed tavern at 142 West 10th Street that drew sustained opposition over proposed 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. closing times, and a cluster of newly built roadside sidewalk/roadbed platforms on narrow Bedford Street that residents and board members said raise public-safety and compliance questions.

Why it matters: The board’s recommendations feed into the State Liquor Authority’s record and shape how outdoor dining and nightlife patterns affect largely residential blocks. Neighbors said late licenses and permanently installed roadside structures have changed the character and safety of narrow village streets.

Details and key outcomes

142 West 10th Street. The applicant said the plan was for a tavern-style concept with a capacity of about 43 seats and proposed hours that included 2 a.m. closing on Friday and Saturday and 1 a.m. other nights. Neighbors said the block is primarily residential and said previous businesses at the site closed earlier. Robin Felsher of the West Tenth/Greenwich Avenue neighbors told the committee: “A 2 a.m. close is totally unacceptable.” Leslie Clark of West Village Residence added that the block “is very residential” and described a high concentration of active and pending licenses within 500 feet. The committee and multiple residents objected to the late hours; the application remained contested at the end of the meeting and the committee indicated it would record the opposition in its advisory comments to the SLA.

Bedford Street roadbed/sidewalk platforms. Three neighboring businesses presented related applications to formalize roadbed/sidewalk cafes that were already constructed on or adjacent to Bedford Street. Committee members and neighborhood…