A restaurant called Brownstone Bar & Grill is on this month's CB3/SLA docket to take over the space last held by Affaire, the French bistro and lounge,
which closed at 50 Avenue B last August. (Brownstone, whose CB3 application lists a menu of "Caribbean/Southern food," was originally on last month's docket ... but was a scratch.)
And Brownstone's possible arrival has sparked concerned neighbors to join forces to possibly speak out against a liquor license for the address. There are now flyers hanging in buildings and along Avenue B.
According to the flyer:
Help Stop a New Rowdy Late-night Club from Opening in Our Neighborhood!
We’ve all worked together for several years to force the closure of several late-night clubs that severely degraded the quality of life in our neighborhood. It’s been a long, hard struggle. The last one, Affaire, closed at the end of this summer. Now someone new wants to re-open a boisterous club in that location (50 Avenue B, near East 4th Street.)
We can’t let that happen! All that we’ve worked hard for and accomplished is risk!
WHAT’S BEING PROPOSED:
• The new occupant wants to operate a club for up to 200 people that will stay open until 2 a.m. on Mon.-Wed. nights, and until 4 a.m. on Thurs.-Sun. nights.
• The place will be known as Brownstone Bar and Grill. It plans to feature 8 video screens, play recorded music both as background and as “entertainment”, and host special events.
WHAT DOES THIS SOUND LIKE TO YOU?
Le Souk and Carne vale all over again!
WHAT’S NEXT:
Community Board 3’s SLA and DCA Licensing Committee will be considering an application by the operator for a liquor license at their next meeting – that will be our time to show up and speak out! You can read the full application here.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
• Show up at the CB3 Committee meeting to express your opinion and stand up together with each other – Mon. Oct. 7th at 6:30 p.m., at CB3’s offices, 59 E. 4th St. (between 2nd Ave. and the Bowery.)
• Write a letter to CB3 to express your opinion on this matter. Be sure to personalize it, and to talk about your experiences with such places as a neighborhood resident. You can send it to the office, or email it to info@cb3manhattan.org
Neighbors are meeting with Brownstone reps on Thursday night. Here are details on that:
Thursday Oct. 3 @ 7:30 p.m.
535 E. 5th Street (bet. Aves. A & B) in the ground floor Community Room
Hosted by the East 4th St. Block Association
Come meet and ask questions of the operators
Some neighbors here between Fourth Street and Third Street still shudder at the mere mention of Le Souk, which finally
closed in 2009 after a lengthy battle with the SLA. (Of course, there were those various
mystery parties
at the space in recent years.)
Some residents fear a return to the bonkerish partygoing
along here last seen in 2004-2006... a stretch that
Eater dubbed "Hellmouth" back in 2006.
