Manhattan CB2 executive committee backs letter opposing liquor-license application after loud June event

Manhattan Community Board 2's executive committee voted June (executive meeting) to send a cover letter to the State Liquor Authority (SLA) recommending denial of a liquor-license application for a Little West 12th Street establishment after neighborhood complaints about a June 5 event.

The committee said the June 5 event included “blaring music” and a performer using a microphone for about three hours, drawing residents into the street and raising concerns about whether the applicant will abide by previously negotiated stipulations. Committee members also noted the applicant ran a hiring event and promotional materials describing the venue as a “live roast party,” in contrast to representations that the space would be an elevated dining experience with background music.

The letter and related resolution will be submitted ahead of the SLA’s 500-foot preliminary hearing process. Committee members said filing the cover letter now gives regulators the neighborhood’s account of the June 5 activity and prior compliance history to weigh in the licensing determination.

Martha Sheryl, the committee member who made the motion, said the June 5 event raised “real concerns about how they’re going to operate.” Brian Pape seconded the motion. The committee recorded that the motion passed unanimously; the transcript does not record individual roll-call votes.

Why it matters: 500-foot hearings are the SLA’s initial vehicle for determining whether a license is in the public interest in areas near residences or places of worship. The committee framed the submission as an effort to ensure regulators have the neighborhood record before a license is approved or denied.

The executive committee cover letter will accompany CB2’s denial-resolution and the stipulations the board had sought; the board office said the materials would be filed by the SLA deadline the following day.