Residents of Chesapeake House, at 201 East 28th Street, turned out at last night’s Community Board 6 meeting to protest against a proposed liquor license for Tonic East, a new multi-level nightclub at the corner of 28th Street and Third Avenue. The club has plans to have an open-rooftop lounge, and neighbors were concerned about noise problems.
The board sided with the neighbors, and recommended that the State Liquor Authority deny the club’s owners a license; whether the S.L.A. heeds the board’s advice is anyone’s guess, though, as the authority in the past has been unmoved by neighborly concerns.
Although the recommendation was denied, it’s interesting to note that the board did recognize that the owner of the club did try to work with the residents to find an equitable solution–removing speakers from the rooftop, agreeing to stipulations governing the hours of operation–but no lawyer was on hand to vet the agreement. Some board members suggested tabling the resolution until next month, but it needed to be acted on last night, before it went before the S.L.A. So it’s a conditional no-go for Tonic East (although the community board’s vote is strictly advisory).
We’ve a feeling, though, that this ain’t the end of it.
-Matthew Grace
