Identity Crisis

Lower East Side Wants Fewer Bars, Cheaper Stores, the Impossible

By Elise Knutsen 1/06/12 1:49pm

Blame it on Giuliani, we suppose. Once a haven for thrifty twenty-somethings and starving artists, locals are being priced out of their East Village neighborhood by bars and boutique shops catering to those who can afford NYU tuition.  The local community board, however, is trying to remedy the situation and reclaim the hood, DNAinfo reports.  

Community Board 3 has started a letter-writing campaign, asking landlords not to rent spaces to bars and overpriced clothing shops and late-night hubs but rather to grocers and other neighborhood (and LES budget)-friendly establishments.

The letter, signed by CB3 Chairman Dominic Pisciotta, also warns that the community board will not look kindly on liquor license applications in areas that are already oversaturated with nightlife, including blocks of St. Mark’s Place, Avenue A and Orchard Street.

Liquor licenses won’t be approved unless establishments prove they have the community’s backing and will better the neighborhood.  If cheap SoCo shots and drunk coeds aren’t a benefit to the community, we don’t know what is.

 

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Comments

  1. Shawn Chittle says:
    January 6, 2012 at 9:05 pm

    With the highest density of bars in the United States located on the tiny Lower East Side (10003/10009) it’s been a long time coming for the city to push back a little on how many liquor licenses it grants to a specific area.

    The math is simple: residents > tourists

    1. Matt Chaban says:
      January 9, 2012 at 12:32 pm

      I worry you’re math is off a little: college students > residents > tourists

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