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Letter to NY State Liquor Authority Opposing Granting
a Full Liquor License to Tiger Ale
June 10, 2006
Hon. Daniel B. Boyle
Commissioner and Chair
State Liquor Authority
84 Holland Ave.
Albany, NY 12208
Opposed: On Premises License: Tiger Ale Bar, 281 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10014. (former application # 1174057)
Dear Commissioner Boyle:
The Greenwich Village Block Associations is a community wide coalition of neighborhood organizations dedicated to preserving and improving the quality of life for residents of our historic neighborhood. We oppose granting a license to the Tiger Ale bar, planning to open at 281 Bleecker Street.
The proposed location — between 6th and 7th Avenues — is on a section of Bleecker Street that has a long history dating back to the turn of the century for providing specialty and fresh foods. Until the 1960’s vegetable pushcarts lined the block; in fact, broccoli was first sold from a Bleecker Street cart. Restaurants supplemented the neighborhood’s “food friendly” family atmosphere. A bar has never been located on this section of the street.
Many neighborhood establishments suffered economic reverses after September 11th and were forced to close. For the first time in a long while vacant stores appeared on this part of Bleecker Street. In the past few years, aided by our local politicians and citizen groups, this section is entering a renaissance and is redolent with stores offering exotic delicious food. A cheese shop, bread shop, fish store, butcher, herb shop and two Italian bakeries have joined the restaurants; tourists are finding this part of New York. Tour buses routinely stop on the corner to allow tourists to enjoy its atmosphere and the foods available.
A rowdy bar, open from 11:00am till 4:00am, with open doors and windows — the owners admit they intend to operate this way — is unwelcome; it will negatively impact the ambiance that attracts new business, thus damaging our merchants’ economic viability. Allowing a liquor license for a bar to replace a small Italian restaurant — within 200 feet of a church — will adversely impact that section of Bleecker Street. Please do not grant Tiger Ale its requested liquor license. Thank you.
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