Hearth, the well-regarded restaurant at 403 E. 12th St. at First Avenue, is applying for a sidewalk cafe during this month's CB3/SLA licensing meeting.
While residents feel as if Hearth is a quality restaurant and a good neighbor, there are concerns about the proposed 38-seat sidewalk cafe. (Residents are also sympathetic to the fact that Hearth's landlord
recently hit the restaurant with a 65-percent rent hike.)
So residents and members of the North Avenue A Neighborhood Association are meeting with Hearth reps tomorrow night at 7 to discuss the plans. The meeting is in the office of the East Village Community Coalition, which is located just off the lobby in the Christodora House, 143 Avenue B.
Here's a diagram of the East 12th Street side of the restaurant that Hearth submitted.
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Click on image for a better view]
One Association member said there is already a lot of "pedestrian congestion" in the area around First Avenue and East 12th Street with especially high foot traffic from the L train stop at East 14th Street.
"And now
with 160 new apartments scheduled to be built at the corner of East 12th Street and Avenue A, it seems the congestion will only increase," the member said.
