Is This the End of Williamsburg Nightlife?

Short answer: no.

Metropolitan’s liquor license is resting on tenuously safe ground. The community board can only make recommendations to the State Liquor Authority — they don’t have the actual power to take away a bar’s booze.

Somewhat longer answer: Metropolitan’s liquor license is very safe (despite the fact that most of the patrons quoted in the article pretty much admit the place is a bad neighbor) – SLA has stated categorically that a liquor license is just like a driver’s license, perpetually renewable unless the license holder engages in some act of malfeasance (criminal activity, not paying (enough) excise taxes).

Old Bar, The Ship’s Mast, Discovered Decaying In Williamsburg

02/27/2012 | 2 Comments

Gothamist (and Scouting NY) discover the remnants of the Ship’s Mast, once upon a time one of the only bars in Williamsburg (seriously, I think there were 4, maybe 5 bars between South 9th and North 12th).

Scouting NY posted about (and I commented on) this storefront a few years back, and (of course) got into the place to put together this follow up.

Holiday Cocktail Lounge Closing

Another old haunt bites the dust.

Crackdown Hits North Brooklyn Bars

You wouldn’t know from reading Crain’s, but CB1 supports about 9 out of every 10 liquor license applications that come before it. (Proving Woody Allen right, the huge majority of rejected applications are for bars and restaurants that don’t even bother showing up.)

That’s some crackdown.

A Drinking Temple Grows in Brooklyn

WSJ previews Hotel Williamsburg’s four (yes, four) bars.

Bad News for Turkey Nest Fans

06/10/2011 | Comment

Styrene
Balanced meal, Turkey Nest style, via Metromix

[The government has] said that styrene, which is used in … Styrofoam, may cause cancer but is generally found in such low levels in consumer products that risks are low.

Backlash Against Bars

04/19/2011 | Comment

After linking to Greg Hanlon’s piece on liquor license moratoriums last night, I came across a very similar piece by Sumathi Reddy in today’s Wall Street Journal (via Brownstoner).

Both Reddy and Hanlon do an excellent job of highlighting the futility of actions like the proposed liquor license moratorium. Past experience at CB1 in Brooklyn (years ago) and CB3 in the East Village (much more recently) shows that moratoriums have no effect.

For those that think that there are too many bars, the SLA is not the answer. As an SLA rep told Hanlon, “the general presumption of this agency is that it’s going to be approved unless there’s a reason not to approve it.”

For those (like myself) who believe that we need to do more to rein in problem establishments, the SLA is only part of the answer. Stopping problem places before they happen (and they are usually pretty easy to spot) requires a lot of proactive work on the part of the Community Board. Making the case against specific applications or specific locations. Following up with state and local electeds, City agencies and the SLA. Going to hearings. Addressing problem places after the fact requires a lot more of the same, and ultimately, getting local agencies such as NYPD, NYFD, Consumer Affairs, DOB and the like to take action.

In other words, it is a lot of work and requires a lot of follow through.