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SLA 2 hearing sees string of restaurant license applications, neighbors press for stricter outdoor and noise rules
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Summary
The SLA 2 Licensing Committee heard a series of transfer and alteration applications for restaurants in the West Village and nearby blocks; residents repeatedly urged limits on hours, outdoor speakers/TVs, clearer DOT permits and better trash/line management. Committee members pressed applicants to accept stipulations on outdoor hours, clear pedestrian paths and pickups.
Donna Reftery, chair of the SLA 2 Licensing Committee, opened the April session with procedural directions and a list of items that had been withdrawn or laid over. The committee then heard more than a half dozen applications to open, transfer, or change methods of operation for neighborhood restaurants and bars.
Charlene Mobi Shankar (S4) proposed Manor Estate Wines, a 300‑square‑foot tasting room at 61 Carmine Street. Shankar said the venue will feature background music only and operate as a small, quiet wine bar; she told the committee she had met local block associations and would follow any DOT requirements for sidewalk seating. The committee and neighbors discussed occupancy and diagram scale.
Bridal Andreo (S10) told the board that Romay LLC intends to keep the existing restaurant operation at 57 7th Avenue South but add limited televisions for World Cup days and sidewalk seating (8 tables, 24 seats). Neighbors including Nancy Paisley (S11) and Leslie Clark (S14) opposed later outdoor hours and televisions, saying temporary allowances tend to become permanent. The committee reiterated that outdoor speakers are not permitted and reminded the applicant that sidewalk cafes and roadbeds require separate DOT approvals and clear‑path maintenance.
Several alteration and transfer applications also drew detailed public comment. Residents pressed Ruby’s West Village (Little Ruby’s) and applicants for Hungry Llama and Sweet Pineapple on compliance with certificates of occupancy, landmark (LPC) approvals and trash mitigation. Nancy Paisley and other neighbors raised longstanding trash and rodent concerns near several sites; applicants said they were taking steps including additional bins and daily pickup.
One of the meeting’s longest exchanges centered on a proposed catering establishment and event space tied to 51 Merchants/Via Corona, where attorney Joseph Levy (S3) and proprietors said the downstairs space is intended for booked private events and had been renovated, including sprinklers and additional soundproofing. Multiple neighbors said an event space with a 60‑person capacity will magnify congestion, late‑night pick‑ups and Uber activity on narrow streets. Applicants said events will be booked in advance, they will require orderly pickups (directing drivers to a specified pickup point) and deploy staff to shepherd guests; the committee asked for written commitments about doormen, pickup procedures and limits on late‑night programming.
Across the meeting, the board used stipulations as its primary tool: requiring outdoor seating to close at specified times (commonly 10 or 11 p.m.), banning outdoor speakers, requiring clear pedestrian paths and asking applicants to follow LPC/DOB requirements where applicable. Committee members repeatedly encouraged applicants to continue neighborhood outreach and to provide updated diagrams and DOT filings before final licensing steps.
The committee said it will forward formal positions and stipulations to the State Liquor Authority for each application and recommended applicants return with any outstanding DOT/LPC/DOB approvals. The session closed after the business session and the chair summarized positions the committee planned to send to SLA.
