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Radiant Cafe in West Village draws large, split public turnout over beer-and-wine application
Summary
At the SLA hearing, Radiant Cafea small cafe at 172 Waverly Placesaw strong public support for a beer-and-wine license from regular patrons and nearby tenants, while the West Village Residents Association urged denial citing prior unpermitted sidewalk service and neighborhood licensing saturation.
An application by Radiant Cafe (doing business as Radiant/Vibrant NYC) at 172 Waverly Place for a beer-and-wine (tavern-wine) license drew a large and divided public turnout at the Community Board 2 SLA meeting on April 1.
Owner representative Donald Bernstein described Radiant as a 435-square-foot coffee shop with 18 indoor seats that has operated for more than a year and asked for a beer-and-wine license and modest private-party allowances. The applicants said there was no current sidewalk cafe permitting in the application and that benches that had been placed briefly were taken down after they were told seating required permits.
Dozens of neighbors testified. Supporters said Radiant has become a community hub. "The community and the quality of connection that they build is a gift to the neighborhood," said Rufus Wire, who lives across the street, urging approval. Several neighborhood residents said they regularly patronize the cafe and trust the owners to operate responsibly.
Opponents, led by the West Village Residents Association, urged denial. Leslie Clark told the committee the neighborhood has seen a steady rise in licensed storefronts and warned that permitting the cafe would accelerate that trend. "We do not believe that adding wine and beer is the same as running a coffee shop," Clark said, and argued that the cafe had previously served outdoors without permits and that the board should deny a wine-and-beer license at an otherwise unlicensed location.
Applicants acknowledged prior unpermitted sidewalk seating and said they had removed benches and would comply with permitting procedures. Owner Stefan Tomic told the committee they planned only limited private events and would consult DOT if they pursued formal sidewalk seating.
Ending: The committee did not record a final vote during the transcript. Committee members took public testimony and asked the applicant to provide clear sidewalk-cafe plans and to follow-up with the board and DOT on any future outdoor seating requests.
