Another day, another fight over a proposed bar in Williamsburg.
This time, nightlife-loathing Northside condo owners are angry over Williamsburg Manor, a proposed party space on North First Street, in a warehouse between Kent and Wythe avenues.
Alexander Dimitrov — who owns Mehanata nightclub on the Lower East Side — wants to convert the warehouse into a “laidback” party venue that can hold 300 people, will be open ’til 4 a.m. and have a rooftop patio, according to the Brooklyn Paper.
But about 50 Northside residents are having none of it. They shot down Dimitrov’s plan at a Community Board 1 meeting last week, saying the bar will bring loud crowds.
To which Dimitrov told them, “You should go out more often.”
“This is a commercial area, and when you bought your property you took chances,” he said, according to the paper. “I am trying to improve this area, not convert it.”
You may recall these are the Williamsburg-ites who wanted to only grant liquor licenses if outdoor bars offer “waited, table service,” and the same folks who want to see a philharmonic perform instead of the Williamsburg concerts. Those concerts used to be held on the waterfront, but this summer they’re moving out of East River State Park and into a city-owned lot a few blocks away, after residents complained about loud noise and drug use at the shows.
CB 1’s liquor license committee unanimously voted to deny Dimitrov’s request for a liquor license last week. Their vote is only a recommendation, however, and the State Liquor Authority gets the final say on whether Williamsburg Manor can serve booze. The SLA has approved many other license requests in Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
