Too Many Bars in Bed Stuy Now?
Last week, Bed Stuy’s Community Board 3 voted against supporting the liquor license of a restaurant planning to open on Atlantic Avenue between Franklin and Classon, “amid fears from some locals that the area is drowning in bars,” DNAinfo reported. A CB no vote is only advisory, not binding — the State Liquor Authority has…
Last week, Bed Stuy’s Community Board 3 voted against supporting the liquor license of a restaurant planning to open on Atlantic Avenue between Franklin and Classon, “amid fears from some locals that the area is drowning in bars,” DNAinfo reported. A CB no vote is only advisory, not binding — the State Liquor Authority has the say — but it’s the first time we can recall in recent years a no vote from CB3, which generally seems to encourage new businesses.
At a community board meeting we attended in September, a member of the board stated noise complaints from bars are an increasing problem in Bed Stuy. A resident who spoke at the meeting and who lives above Simplicity Wine Bar on Malcolm X Boulevard between Decatur and Macdonough said noise has been a problem. In the last year or so, an unprecedented number of new bars — about a dozen — have opened or are planning to open in Bed Stuy, along with a smaller number of restaurants seeking liquor licenses.
Some of the new venues in the works include Bed-Vyne Cocktails, Casablanca, Brooklyn Wine Yard, an as-yet-unnamed spinoff of Manhattan’s Silver Lining and Little Branch, Khemistry, and an unnamed spinoff of Mayfield that will have a taco truck in the backyard. Bed-Vyne Cocktails co-owner Damone James told the community board in September the business had soundproofed the ceiling of the new bar at 305 Halsey and would close the backyard early if there are any noise complaints.
The number of bars and restaurants with liquor licenses in the enormous and mostly residential neighborhood of Bed Stuy pales in comparison to the number that have opened in Williamsburg and Bushwick, where community boards have tried and failed to stop them.
At the same meeting this month, CB3 voted to support a liquor license for a restaurant on Franklin Avenue, according to DNAinfo. Attendees said the area of Atlantic where the owner of Franklin Park was hoping to open his new venue already had too many noisy bars, said the story. The building recently housed an auto body repair shop, above.
What do you think is an appropriate number of bars for Bed Stuy?
Franklin Park Owner Rejected in Bid for New Bed-Stuy Liquor License [DNA]
Photo by Christopher Bride for PropertyShark
I actually think it’s ideal to contain the bars and restaurants on the Atlantic Ave and Fulton Street, which are mostly commercial, and even industrial (Atlantic), and keep them farther away from the residential side streets. The CB is being unwise, unless the votes from those who want to “Fight Gentrification”?
When an area is gonna be gentrified, there’s no way one can try to artificially stop it, better spend the energy channeling it in a way that the quality of life and characters in a neighborhood is maintained, keeping them mostly on Atlantic / Fulton and not too close to those residential brownstones is a good idea. More bars and restaurants would also make the street scape look a lot better too, right now Both thoroughfare are so painfully ugly, it’s depressing to walk by them!!
Too many bars?!?! I look out my front door left no bar, look right no bar. I look out back, no bar. Bed Stuy despite recent gains still has the least bar per mile of any neighborhood within 40 mins of downtown Manhattan. Until I walk outside and see bars there’s not enough. Until there are no more used car shops, there’s not enough. If its too loud, shut your window. You own the house, not the block.
Agree wholeheartedly with August and surabi. The CB’s action really is absurd. How could a few bars along that stretch of Atlantic Avenue create more of a noise nuisance than the elevated train tracks?!
This community board is so backward. That stretch of Atlantic Ave is so desolate, especially at night, still lots of mugging and lesser crimes, I always have to look in different directions when walking on the street at night on my way home from work. Restaurants that open late could make it safer and more happening, we are so lacking in food options here too, it is indeed no man’s land. It is terrible to have a bunch of short sighted people to determine the fate of our neighborhood (I live nearby.) What are they thinking? When it comes to noise, It is a huge street only cars pass by, noise issue would be very minimal to residential sections of the block (not much of it.) Talking about noise, the real problem are those low, flying, non stopped airplanes that have been ravaging the area lately (along with other parts of Brooklyn and Queens.)
It should be noted for consideration that bars often need to arrive in large numbers before a restaurant scene can blossom. Bars make an area feel awake at night. And thats the kind of thing that brings in new residents who like to blow money on a multitude of drinks. Restaurants are visited so much less frequently than bars. Bars have regulars, but people tend to explore their options much more when it comes to restaurants. You don’t want to go to the same place twice in a week. In order for great places to eat to flourish, they need a lot of potential patrons already in the neighborhood. And bars bring those people.
I understand people’s negative reactions towards bars. They get loud at night and disturb neighbors, and, in Stuy Heights, the bar at Peaches, and Therapy, and Casablanca when it opens, and Simplicity, and the new one on Halsey off Lewis really do seem like enough. No one was ever in the one that is now Ban’s real estate office. But restaurants are less obtrusive. Stuy Heights needs more. Celestino was fantastic and closed right when it would have become popular. It’s good that The Antagonist is opening, but it still seems crazy that the Peaches people are using that corner space on Lewis as an office. Aside from Saraghina and Peaches restaurant, the neighborhood definitely needs more options. Beso tries but isn’t very good. Emiline’s and Brunswick both close mid-afternoon. It seems crazy that with Saraghina and Peaches always so packed, people aren’t opening up well-run, affordable restaurants (with liquor licenses, if you want to continue the original thread).
Is this story even news worthy?? Bed Stuy needs more of everything, there is so much of that area that is still no man’s land, especially near Atlantic.
Newsworthy? People like talking about their neighborhood, that’s all.
Oh for the love of god, please let someone turn this scorched corridor of hell into something fun and useful.
I hate community boards