Dimensions
Sept. 21, 2015 By Michael Florio
Several local businesses went before Community Board 3 applying for a liquor license last Thursday and three bars/restaurants were rejected.
In total six businesses from Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst and Corona applied for a new liquor license, but only three received the green light, with one of the three narrowly getting the nod.
Dimensions Latina Tapas Bar, a new Hispanic restaurant that is planned to open at 91-13 31st Ave in East Elmhurst, had its application rejected.
The restaurant owners proposed hours from 3 pm to 2 am Tuesday through Sunday, with the restaurant being closed on Mondays.
However, the board received a petition with more than 100 signatures from residents of 31st Ave, who argued that it is a residential area and that they were concerned about noise and other quality of life issues. The application was then rejected.
El Centenario Restaurante, a Mexican restaurant located at 96-07 37th Ave in Corona, applied for a wine and beer license. The restaurant owner proposed hours of noon to 2 am.
The owner said he signed a stipulation that there would be no dancing at the location and that there would be no loud music, which was the only concern brought up by board members while discussing the proposal.
The board, however, rejected the application. The reason why it was given the thumbs down was not made clear at the meeting.
Those establishments were not the only applicants that got denied last week. Patrick Duong, owner of Addictive Wine & Tapas Bar, which will be opening soon at 32-63 87th Street, was also rejected.
“There will be absolutely no dance floor or loud music,” Duong said.
However, the proposed hours of the restaurant/bar had changed since Duong discussed his plans with the board’s Business/Economic Development Committee, an arm of the community board dedicated to handling liquor license applications.
The committee report stated that the restaurant would open at 11 am, but Duong changed his plans to open at 6 am to serve coffee.
“We would like to call it back into committee and discuss the new information that we were not made aware of,” Business/Economic Development committee co-chairman Edmund Rosenbaum said.
“Let’s do it right next month,” Community Board 3 Chairman Stephen Kulhanek added.
The board also had concerns about Lima Restaurant & Bar, a Peruvian restaurant that will be opening at 85-07 Northern Blvd. The restaurant has three levels, a party room in the basement, a main floor and a small mezzanine section for seating upstairs.
The venue can hold more than 230 people at capacity and plans to be open until 2 am.
The board asked whether there would be security guards given the number of likely patrons. Furthermore, the board was concerned about loud music and dancing.
The owner stated that he has already spoken to security companies and that he planned on having roughly four or five guards at the location. He also signed a stipulation that there would be no dancing on the premises.
Rosenbaum said that the Business/Economic Development committee recommended approving the application, on the condition that it serves food until closing and not just drinks after 11 pm. The application was narrowly approved, with 18 board members voting to approve, 12 against and one abstention.
Other applicants had an easier time being approved.
The board approved the liquor license application for the sports bar Pollos Mario, which is opening soon at 83-14 37th Ave.
Phayul Himalayan Restaurant, a Tibetan and Himalayan restaurant that opened earlier this month at 89-17 Northern Blvd, was unanimously approved for a wine and beer license.
The board does not have the final word on the liquor license applications. The board’s recommendations, which are taken seriously, are sent to the State Liquor Authority, which ultimately m
akes the decision.
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