Last Thursday, I wrote about the next
CB3/SLA meeting... held last night.... For residents on the northern stretch of Avenue A who are tired of a neighborhood over-saturated with bars, there were reasons for for concern. On the original docket (I believe Forbidden City was a scratch):
Alterations/Transfers/Upgrades-- El Camion (El Camion III Inc), 194 Ave A (trans/op) (The Raven)
-- Percy's (Steelbar 180 Inc), 210-212 Ave A (trans/op) (Al Diwan)
-- MBM Lounge Inc, 212 Ave A (trans/op) (Forbidden City)
-- Corp to be Formed, 503-505 E 12th St (trans/op)
Plus, the popular Westville at 11th Street is applying for a sidwalk cafe license...
Due to work commitments, I was unable to attend last night's meeting...
The Lo-Down was there. As they
report: "Westville Restaurant’s sidewalk cafe license was rejected on the grounds that Avenue A is already overburdened with bars and late night crowds."
Jill was there too. Here's what she had to say at
Blah Blog Blah ...
Tonight's Community Board 3 SLA Committee meeting was possibly historic. The Upper Avenue A residents had such a strong turnout, and Dolores' pink signs made a dramatic impact when 24 people held them up to the astonishment of the room. Even the committee members were taking photos.
And!But signs are one thing, getting something done is another. And victory was the word of the evening. The northern part of Avenue A has been under siege by an incredible influx of bars, and tonight three more were on the agenda, plus a sidewalk cafe license. The end result, which is often a testament to stamina more than brains, was that nobody got their license approvals tonight, and one of the three bars withdrew their application in the face of so much opposition.
Jill goes on to discuss her conflict on this issue... She loves bars and restaurants and going out. But. Enough is enough.
"There has come a moment in the past few years where the tipping point was reached, and the number of bars has outnumbered everything else. Instead of the diverse place I've lived for so long,
our little streets have become a mecca of nightlife, a Temple Bar or Bourbon Street zone that is on the verge of being truly unlivable. 19 bars within 500 feet simply have to be enough to choose from."
Thanks to Jill for attending and quickly writing this up...
More on this as the day continues...Here is
Eater's coverage.... and perhaps more from The Lo-Down... and maybe
Fork in the Road?
For more on the nightlife discussion....
Avenue A, 9:13 p.m., May 8 (read the 68 comments) ....
"Another noisy bar" slated for Avenue A; actually, make that several noisy bars, perhaps