[W]hile the night life has turned Avenue C into a top party destination for young professions and college students, the added noise and traffic is causing increased friction between residents and revelers.
Older residents who moved to the neighborhood in the '60s are now trying to keep out new bars. They have taken their complaints to the Community Board 3, which is restricting the number of new establishments that can sell alcoholic beverages.
According to the community board's website, Avenue C between Houston and 14th streets, an area with 23 liquor licenses, is deemed to have "greatly diminished the quality of life" for residents.
Some say the night life helps the area. "I understand sometimes there is too much noise," said Benjamin Alter, owner of Arcane, "but to me, the more business you have in the neighborhood, the better it makes the economy for the neighborhood."
Yes! Woo!
Anyway, let's flashback via the Times to 2005:
"C will keep its edginess for five more years," predicted Melvina Goren, a partner at Porch, 115 Avenue C (Seventh and Eighth), a candlelit bar known for its large backyard. "And then the scene will move on to Avenue D."
Well, any thoughts on that prediction?
10 comments:
Ben Alter makes a fair point, but it presumes some number of building owners, business owners, managers and employees actually live in the neighborhood. Otherwise it's pure carpetbagging.
Hi, Avenue C, we feel your pain over here on Avenue A.
Avenue D predictions...
"What are you gonna do, shoot us?"
...POP POP POP-POP
just an updated take on manifest destiny.
Manifest drinkery.
@ Lisa
Ha!
Blogger Shawn Chittle said...
Avenue D predictions...
"What are you gonna do, shoot us?"
oh, if only we could
i actually think it is impossible to breach Avenue D in that respect. The reason being the projects that flank the east side of D. That whole side of the street is impossible to develop without leveling them which would displace hundreds of families. If it was going to happen it would have already.
What a welcome relief to see an EV old timer quoted in the WSJ article who isn't bitching about the number of bars. Go Trudy!
"The party and culture environment is very much alive…it's part of the richness of the neighborhood," said Trudy Silver, artistic director of 5C Cultural Center, a not-for-profit that provides cultural and educational activities and runs a café.
Its not the projects keeping the development off of D -- look at Chelsea. There are fancy hotels and restaurants directly across the street from housing projects. If anything, its the other institutions on D (SROs, etc) that make it challenging for the kinds of folks who frequent Ave C to move to D, but all it really takes is one determined (and popular) pioneer...
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