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Last night Community Board 6’s landmarks/land-use committee dealt a harsh (albeit symbolic) blow to local watering hole and performance space Union Hall. After a lengthy and often rancorous public hearing about renewing the Park Slope bar and venue’s liquor license, the committee voted 6 to 2 in favor of a motion that denies Union Hall a renewal unless the business’s owners sign a contract stipulating that they will take measures to ameliorate noise, such as stopping the sale of alcohol after midnight. Although the motion is ultimately only advisory, the committee member who introduced it—Lou Sones, who himself owns a bar, The Brazen Head on Atlantic Avenue—described it as the community board’s “nuclear weapon” in terms of being a powerful indication to the State Liquor Authority that Union Hall is disturbing the lives of nearby residents. The motion was introduced after a two-hour-long pubic hearing in which many supporters of Union Hall, which is on Union Street between 5th and 6th avenues, spoke about how much they appreciated the business. A good number of residents who live near the establishment, meanwhile, described how noise from the business and its patrons was negatively affecting their quality of life. More people at the hearing, in fact, spoke out in support of Union Hall than against it. Find out what they had to say, and read the anti-UH faction’s claims, on the jump…

union-hall-2-05-2008.JPGThe business’s boosters said Union Hall is a great deal more than just a bar or rock venue. One of the people who runs the club’s Secret Science Club, for example, noted that his group has brought three Nobel Laureates to speak at the venue, and comedian Eugene Mirman talked about how his comedy night at the venue has been called one of the best in the city. Union Hall co-owner Jim Carden described how many Brooklyn organizations have held fundraisers at the space and detailed the many ways he and his partners have tried to address noise concerns, from soundproofing to putting up signs like the one at right to trying to hold meetings with block residents who say they’ve been disturbed by the bar’s noise. Some of those residents, who have been complaining about Union Hall for many months now, described not being able to sleep because their street is constantly filled with drunken revelers at all hours of the night and morning. Most dramatically, one Union Street resident said she’d been dealing with auto-immune problems that were directly linked to sleep deprivation. The struggle between Union Hall and its neighbors is one that’s currently being played out all around the city, and community boards have become battlegrounds where the fight between people who want to preserve their residential streets and businesses that want to operate on those streets is played out. A somewhat similar liquor license battle was recently fought over an oyster bar that’s opening on Hoyt Street. The committee’s recommendation on Union Hall will be voted on by all of Community Board 6 next week, and if the full board also backs the motion, the State Liquor Authority will have to weigh the decision when it decides on whether to renew Union Hall’s license at the end of this month.
Neighbors to Union Hall: Shut Up! [Brownstoner]
Shucks! Oyster Bar Dredges Up Controversy on Hoyt [Brownstoner]


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. They voted to APPROVE Union Hall getting their liquor license approved 🙂

    This is why people should come out and participate in their community- the members of the board came out to make sure they voted to SUPPORT Union Hall. 🙂 🙂 🙂

  2. This is a really tricky issue and i’m afraid there is no clear cut solution to it. I can see very convincing points on either side, so I’m going to limit my comment here to address what I feel is an unfair misrepresentation.

    I am a native to Brooklyn, and have lived in this community for many years now. I know both Lou Sones and the owners of Floyd/Union Hall personally, and very truly like both parties as people and business owners. While I am not choosing sides in the struggle itself, I think it is ignorant and unfair to make this into an attack on Lou personally. While it may seem clear on the surface to simply say that it is a conflict of interest for him to be taking this position, I am convinced that it is not. First of all, Floyd and The Brazen Head are in no way competitors — anyone living in that part of the neighborhood can tell you that. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that O’Keefe’s on Court St. caters to the same law-heavy clientele that Brazen Head does. There truly is little to no overlap with Floyd. That being said, bar owners generally want there to be other successful bars around them – it generates more business for all. Just the fact that there is such a vitriolic backlash against him speaking his opinion, and voicing the opinions of the community, shows how wrongheaded everyone has gotten. In fact, I would be inclined to trust a bar owner MORE in this instance, as it takes more courage knowing that he is leaving his own business up to scrutiny.

    I’ve just reread that and realized that it probably seems like I am standing behind Lou and am in support of shutting down Union Hall. This is not true at all. But I think we all need to be careful about where we hang our misguided ire.

  3. i have lived in the slope for years, and while not on a busy street, not on the quietest one either. i live 2 bloacks away from union hall and regularly pass by at these so-called loud hours. ummmm, i’ve never heard shouting or any out-of-the-ordinary city noise. and that’s just what this is…a bunch of people who really just need to leave the city. if they were so concerned with noise why did they move to one of the most heavily-trafficed avenues in the area. i mean, come on already. the slope can’t be all about mommies, babies, etc. yes, quality of life is important, but so is having places that can be all things to everyone…music, bar, coffee/brunch, comedy, baci. this place has something for everyone and if it closed would be a huge insult to the community. um, the community not going to bed at 9pm and pushing out babies, that is.