Shucks! Oyster Bar Dredges Up Controversy on Hoyt

For the past several months, a Community Board 6 committee has been considering a local business owner’s application to get a liquor license for a bar he wants to open on Hoyt and Union. The board examined whether zoning allows for a drinking establishment in the building, which is adjacent to the Black Mountain Wine Bar, and also heard from some neighbors (especially a group called the Hoyt Street Alliance) who were opposed to the proposed business for a number of reasons, including the fact that it’s near a school and the stretch of Hoyt it would open on is primarily residential. After chewing on the application for a long time, CB6 finally voted in favor of the liquor license application last week, but controversy about the establishment and the board’s vote (which is ultimately only advisory, though it’s weighed by the State Liquor Authority) is still alive on the web. Pardon Me For Asking has penned a couple of withering posts on the topic, writing, “As far as I am concerned, C.B.6 just signaled to all restaurateurs that this district is a free for all and that residential streets are as good as any to open bars,” and also including commentary from former CB6 member Barbara Brookhart about the decision. Brookhart said “it appears that the Board gave more weight to a few residents that approved having the restaurant and bar, than the block association’s petition of about 300 names against the approval of the license.” Meanwhile, on the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association message board, a couple people have had a more tempered opinion of the board’s actions. One CB member, who voted against the liquor license, nevertheless notes that “commercial use is legal, although non-conforming to current zoning at that location,” while another nearby resident wrote, “Actually, I think the folks on Hoyt have a point, though having the existing bar there has been an amenity which brightens an otherwise isolated area, and impacts positively on our community.” The business owner who made the application for the oyster bar is Jim Mamary, the successful Smith Street restaurateur who was behind Patois and other notable eateries.
Community “Business” Board 6 Sticks It To Hoyt & Bond Residents [Pardon Me For Asking] GMAP