Wednesday, May 13, 2015

And The CB6 Vote Is: 26 to 7 To Support Liquor License For "Swan Dive" In Gowanus

oo
IMG_3989
Community Board 6 Executive Board at tonight's meeting at Borough Hall
CB6 Chairperson Gary Reiley
CB6 Permits And Licenses Committee Chair Mike Racioppo

I just walked home with some community members after attending the Community Board 6 general meeting, which was held at Borough Hall in Downtown Brooklyn tonight. One of the items on the agenda, of course, was the vote on a seasonal liquor license for an outdoor BBQ and bar venue next to the Green Building at 450-452 Union Street in Gowanus.

In the past two weeks, the Community Board has received 60 plus letters and emails from residents who live close to the outdoor yard, to say that they had not gotten proper notification regarding the application, and that the 6 day a week, 2 pm closing time of the open air venue would seriously affect their quality of life.

Well, the Board just approved a motion put forth by board member Mark Shames, granting the application, as long as certain stipulation be included.
The stipulations are as follows:
-No amplified music be played outdoors
-The hours of operations be reduced from 11am to 11pm on Sunday through Thursday, and from 11am to 12am on Fridays and Saturdays.
-the owners, Akiva Reich and his partners retain the services of an extermination company
- the owners hire a sound mitigation consultant
- and provide their telephone number to the Community Board and to the neighbors so that they can be contacted in case of issues at the venue.

At the end, the Board voted 26 yes, 7 no and one abstention to support the license.
( My husband, who is a full board member, was one of the 'No' votes.)

Perhaps the Community Board members who voted for this application should supply their telephone number to members of the community,  so that they can be contacted personally if this venue becomes a problem.

Your thoughts?


22 comments:

Anonymous said...

What are they going to do about restroom facilities?

Anonymous said...

Only if you leave your phone number in the comments, so that those who believe that this is a great compromise, addressing both the stated concerns of the neighbors and interests the business owners, can call you.

Katia said...

They are going to have A row of Port'o Sans

Katia said...

Anon 10:02, you seem to forget that you can always reach me very publicly right here on PMFA. As a matter of fact, you just did.

Anonymous said...

Leave your number too so I call you when the drunks are urinating on my stoop. This is not a compromise. CB6 IS A CITY HALL RUBBER STAMP

Anonymous said...

Yuck. I hope they replace them frequently.

Anonymous said...

I'm kind of excited for a new fun outdoor space, and it does seem like good middle ground—11pm isn't terribly late! But then, I don't live right near it, so I'd be experiencing the joint occasionally as a neighbor in the larger vicinity and not as someone enduring nightly noise.

Anonymous said...

I think it's cute how the community board acts all high and mighty and full of themselves but then are very quick to fall on back on that tired old refrain that their opinion is only advisory. Basically, they're OZ.

Had the neighbors not been heard from, the community board would not have changed the hours. Many of them are there to further their own agendas and not the community's.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps it's called "Swan Dive" because it's a last-ditch effort to make more money before the buildings are torn down? http://www.masseyknakal.com/news/reel.aspx?pst=2286
Unfortunately the noise of a bar will pale in comparison to the construction that's on the horizon.

Anonymous said...

Please provide the names of the members of CB6 or a link where I can find their names. I'm curious whether any of those who voted in favor of this obnoxious plan live between this venue and the subway. I'm sure the City would have approved this license regardless of the CB6 recommendation but for members of our very community to approve this plan is an outrage. A permanent row of Port-o-Potties - are they kidding??

Anonymous said...

One thing is clear, the community board doesn't want to hear from the community.

Anonymous said...

You people need to move already if you hate everything that's going on in the neighborhood now a days. You already lost.

Trumbull Bully said...

Bully here...

Sounds like a pretty good compromise if you ask me. Those who are complaining on here sound like the Tea Party crowd, ie, compromise means doing it my way or no way. Like it or not, CB6 represents the whole community, which includes some people that like to have fun at night and businesses that cater to this crowd. If you'd like to move, I'm sure you could make a bundle.

Anonymous said...

BBQ! BBQ! BBQ!

Just don't charge me for fixins, cuz then I'll be pissed.

Signed,
Local resident, mother of two small boys, brisket enthusiast

fred said...

Why don't CB6 post the applications on their website so the information could be relayed by blogs and other social media?. I checked the webpage ( http://www.brooklyncb6.org/committees/?a=detail&content_id=54 )and the last update was made in 2013..
We can contact them through the form on the page.

Anonymous said...

This reminds me (on a smaller scale) of all the initial opposition to IKEA. And now we're all "Yay, IKEA!" mostly because many of the fears didn't come to fruition. This does seem like a good compromise to me although with some risk that the owners will abide by the stipulations.

Anonymous said...

About IKEA. What is fascinating to me is that Bridging Gowanus meetings our council member has that people don't want big box stores. It's always said with a sneer and the participants murmur their agreement like trained seals. If that were really the case then the parking lots at Home Depot, Costco, IKEA, Whole Foods, etc wouldn't be filled. I wish Wegman's would open a store in Gowanus in addition to the Navy Yard.

As for this outdoor whatever it ends up being, the community is given an opportunity to comment and should not be faulted for doing so but the community should not try to subvert people's opportunity to be heard on matters that directly impact them.

Andy said...

Thanks 11:39am. I did a quick search of "Ikea" on this blog and found the results very interesting. I'm no longer afraid!

Anonymous said...

This should be seen as a triumph of community input and teamwork. By definition, compromise means that neither party gets exactly what they want, but settle on some middle ground. Concerned citizens spoke up and were heard - this is a good news story Katia.

Anonymous said...

So no one on the community board caught that per the motion that was read aloud twice and is in writing, Swan Dive will be open on weekdays for one hour from 11AM until 12PM? Sloppy.

bored at work said...

Lets remember that the "compromise" is an advisory from the Community Board. The owners are under no obligation to abide by the recommendation and can stay open until 4 am per SLA rules.

Also, the resolution calls for no amplified music, which is prohibited by the New York City Noise Code. So that is really asking only that they abide by the law.

Has the board ever rejected a liquor license application?

Anonymous said...

Bored At Work,

There is a binding notarized stipulation which is enforceable.