March 13, 2015 By Christian Murray
A gastropub is expected to open in the space that was previously occupied by Communitea—although the proprietors will be subject to a hearing in Long Island City following concerns about potential noise and bar saturation.
The establishment will be called The Gantry LIC, located at 47-02 Vernon Blvd, and will be owned by the proprietors of LIC Bar, which is located at 45-58 Vernon Blvd.
Phil Carroll and Brian Porter went before Community Board 2 Wednesday in their quest to get a liquor license. They said that the establishment will place a heavy emphasis on food and that they had no intention to use the existing backyard space. Furthermore, they said there would no live music.
Despite this, William and Beth Garrett, two Vernon Blvd residents, attended the meeting and asked the committee in charge of reviewing liquor applications whether it would be holding a special hearing in Hunters Point where residents would be able to learn more about the establishment.
Garrett said the venue would be two doors down from his house and he was concerned about it since he could hear noise through his walls from Blend, a restaurant located next door. He also noted that there were 13 bars/restaurants within 500 ft. of the proposed location.
Porter said the establishment would be a small space with room for 12 seats at the bar and about 20 in the main area. He said that he would be looking into establishing a sidewalk café in the future, although not this year.
The menu that Porter presented to the board was extensive, offering a range of items such as mussels, lobster bisque, calamari, salmon, cod, burgers and Irish favorites such as Shepherd’s pie.
The hearing in Long Island City will focus soley on The Gantry LIC. This is rare since most hearings in the past have dealt with several establishments at the same time. This hearing is likely to take place in April.
Carol Terrano, who sits on the board, said “how fair is it for a new business to have to wait [until then]. Something about this doesn’t seem right to me.”
Correction: This article originally stated that William Garrett asked for a hearing. However, Garrett did not ask for a meeting, but instead asked whether there was a meeting.
