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Town approves cigar‑club special permit for 911 North Broadway with membership cap and restrictions
Summary
After a public hearing the board approved a special‑use permit for a membership cigar bar at 911 North Broadway (Libro Corp) with an initial membership cap of 150 and a condition excluding hookah and marijuana; occupancy and parking requirements remain governed by building and planning approvals.
The Town Board voted May 27 to approve a special‑use permit for a membership cigar bar and social club at 911 North Broadway, following a public hearing that examined membership size, ventilation, parking and permitted activities. Applicant James Martolione presented operational details and a written operations plan; the board added conditions before adopting the resolution by voice vote.
Why it matters: The permit allows a membership‑driven cigar club in a commercial space already allotted 18 parking spaces under code calculations. The board balanced residents’ concerns about noise and nighttime activity with the applicant’s representations about interior‑only operations, ventilation and capacity controls.
Details of approval and conditions: The board accepted the applicant’s written statement limiting permitted on‑site smoking to cigars and cigarettes and agreed to include a condition in the resolution explicitly excluding hookah and marijuana smoking. The board also set an initial membership ceiling that the applicant accepted: no more than 150 members at the time of approval; the applicant retains the right to return to the board for modification. Building occupancy (the number of patrons allowed inside at once) remains governed by the building department and certificate of occupancy; the planning board will finalize site‑planning and parking details.
On ventilation and indoor air: The applicant represented that the unit will have independent HVAC units, industrial air cleaners sized for the space and energy‑recovery ventilators (ERVs) to refresh and filter indoor air; the planning/building staff and town attorney indicated conditions can be incorporated in the permit if the board desires stricter limits later.
Process and enforcement: Board members discussed whether to include a permanent cap on membership as a condition of the special permit (some prior membership‑based special permits in town include numerical caps). The adopted resolution uses a 150‑member maximum as the approved initial condition; the board noted enforcement would rely on building and code inspections and police response in cases of operational complaints.
Next steps: Applicant to work with the building and planning departments to secure certificate of occupancy and finalize parking/occupancy figures; the board may revisit permit conditions if operational complaints arise.
