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State Licenses and Permits
26 West 20th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), NO IDEA WHATSOEVER, INC. D/B/A/ "NO IDEA BAR" , APPLICATION FOR A NEW ON PREMISES LIQUOR LICENSE (VIA TRANSFER) in the RESTRICTED LICENSING AREA
WHEREAS, Joe DiPietro, on behalf of NO IDEA WHATSOEVER, INC. ("Applicant"), has notified Community Board Five of its intention to apply for the transfer of an existing on premises liquor license from its existing operation at 30 East 20th Street (between Broadway and Park Avenue South) to a new location at 26 West 20th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), New York, New York (the "Premises"); and
WHEREAS, The Premises consists of approximately 1,800 square feet on the ground floor; and
WHEREAS, The total capacity of the Premises is 72; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant proposes to license the Premises for 1 patron bar and no service bars; and
WHEREAS, The proposed use of the Premises is as a bar only, with no kitchen; and
WHEREAS, The prior use of the Premises was as a spa and, in fact, the Premises has never housed an operation with a liquor license; and
WHEREAS, The Premises is located within CB5's Restricted Licensing Area, an area of extreme conflicting interests between a particularly high-density residential population and a particularly high-density of liquor licensed establishments; and
WHEREAS, The location surrounding the Premises suffers from extreme noise, vehicular and pedestrian congestion, litter, traffic problems, and belligerent crowds, as well as vandalism and incidents of violence, making the area inhabitable for the residential population of the area; and
WHEREAS, For over a decade, CB5 has been attempting to manage the extreme conflict of interest between residents and licensed establishments at this location so that the two may co-exist; and
WHEREAS, The extreme density of liquor licensed establishments surrounding the Premises makes adding a single additional license an excessive burden on the community; and
WHEREAS, Quality of life at this location directly depends on limiting and reducing the number of liquor licensed establishments that must coexist with the dense residential population above, adjacent, and all around these establishments; and
WHEREAS, Due to the already extreme conditions caused by the large number and density of licensed establishments at this location, CB5 finds that granting the transfer of the liquor license to the Premises is NOT in the public interest; and
WHEREAS, Members of the community testified that there continues to be a serious and significant adverse impact on the community by an oversaturation of liquor licensed establishments; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends denial of the application by NO IDEA WHATSOEVER, INC. for an on premises liquor license at 26 West 20th Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenues), New York, New York.
The above resolution passed by a vote of 36 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining.