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Showdown at Saloon for East Siders and SLA
When a group of investors
proposed plans for a new bar in a quiet neighborhood on the East Side of Manhattan,
the surrounding community erupted in opposition. Four local leaders at different
levels of government banded together to protest the plans, and to try tackling
the root cause: longstanding issues with how the State Liquor Authority (SLA)
interacts with community boards.
The proposal for the bar, which the SLA conditionally approved in December of
2005, would put a bar called Embassy at the site of Hsin Yu, a now-defunct Chinese
restaurant on the northeast corner of 46th Street and Second Avenue in Turtle
Bay. The property is now vacant, and construction has not begun.
“I think democratic support at many levels of government increases the chance of reform.” – Assembly
Member Jonathan Bing (D-Manhattan)
Assembly Member Jonathan Bing (D), who not only represents the area but has lived
nearby the site for years, took the lead on the issue with a rally he organized
in front of the property Jan. 26 that drew about 50 local residents and Manhattan
Borough President Scott Stringer (D), State Sen. Liz Krueger (D), and City Council
Member Dan Garodnick (D) – all of whose districts overlap with Bing’s and all of whom opposed the plan.
“I wouldn’t want to go forward with it unless the people who are actually appointing and governing the community boards support it,” Bing said, referring to Stringer and Garodnick.
“It’s the Council and the borough president that appoint the community board members,” he added, “and they are the people who are most involved.”
At the rally, Bing announced that he would introduce a bill in the Assembly to
change how the SLA approves liquor licenses. He accused SLA members of too often
ignoring the recommendations of New York City community boards.
His bill – introduced in the State Senate by Frank Padavan (R-Queens) and endorsed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) – would
require the SLA to provide a written rationale whenever it approves a request
for a liquor license. Rep. Carolyn Maloney has also expressed support for the
changes, as have many neighboring elected officials.
“I think democratic support at many levels of government increases the chance of reform,” Bing
said.
Tom Payne, a community resident and local activist who tried to coordinate neighborhood
opposition to the Embassy plans as well as raise funds for a legal battle against
them, praised Bing’s group for the “very tight ties” it keeps with the residents
and the community boards.
For Garodnick, inter-office coordination is a hallmark of how the different representatives
on Manhattan’s East Side interact with one another.
“I think what it reflects is an East Side team that is highly functional and works well together on this and other issues,” he
said.
Photos by Andrew Schwartz