Nick Jones, the proprietor of members-only club Soho House, had a rough time at last night's Community Board 3 SLA Licensing Committee meeting. Jones and his lawyer explained that the proposed location of Soho House at 139 Ludlow Street would be an asset to the community, and that they have a track record for being good neighbors. In their pitch, Jones and his lawyer also noted that they would be happy to close the rooftop outdoor space at midnight and dedicate the basement space to "community use." Although many people spoke in favor of supporting their liquor license application, the ultimate decision from the Community Board was to deny the license. But it was a nail biter: six members supported the decision do deny, four members voted against the decision, and one member abstained.
Many of the people that spoke against Soho House at last night's cramped, sweaty CB 3 meeting argued that the block that the building sits on is simply over-saturated with liquor licenses, and that any additional club — even an upscale one — would contribute to ongoing quality of life issues. Supporters of Soho House — of which there were many, including one Michael Chernow — argued that having an establishment like this on Ludlow Street would be a good thing for the neighbors. A lot of people that spoke in favor mentioned that members use the club for business meetings, and that it would bring foot traffic to the area during the day. The conversation about Soho House lasted for over two hours, but ultimately, the team got shut down. The full board will vote on this issue at the end of the month.
As several people noted at last night's meeting, the State Liquor Authority up in Albany will probably give Soho House the liquor license no matter what, because the owners are making a huge investment in the area, and money talks. One CB member remarked: "To think that Albany is going to turn this down is naive...They own the building...and it's an eight million dollar investment."
In other liquor license news, the Community Board 3 voted to deny The Living Room team's application at 173 East Second Street. The owners of the singer-songwriter club want to move it to an old laundromat space a few blocks north once their lease is up, but the CB 3 made a motion to deny because of a zoning restriction in the area.
· All Coverage of Soho House [~ENY~]
· All Coverage of The Living Room [~ENY~]