CB2 Committee Squawks over Dog & Ducks’ Plans to Add Sidewalk Seats

May 28, 2015 By Christian Murray

The controversy deals with 12 outdoor seats.

The Dog & the Duck, a gastropub located at 45-20 Skillman Avenue, faced resistance last night from a Community Board 2 subcommittee about its application to add 12 sidewalk seats.

The bar faced strong opposition from Lisa Deller, the chairwoman of the Land Use Committee, who is also a Sunnyside Gardens resident. The addition, she said, would almost double the number of existing sidewalk seats–from 16 to 28.

“I can’t even image that people in the neighborhood would approve this,” Deller said, citing the noise and traffic that the extra seats might generate. “It seems a bit much.”

The plan would bring additional outdoor seats to the Skillman Avenue and 46^th Street side of the establishment. The tables, however, would not take up any extra sidewalk space.

The bar, when it opened in 2011, offered its patrons a rear year with 30 seats. The backyard, however, was shut down after the Department of Buildings determined that the yard did not provide adequate egress. The rear yard had been used by previous restaurateurs.

With rear yard gone, Padraig Connolly, the owner, said that he wanted to provide his patrons with more sidewalk seats. Furthermore, he said, it is a way to make up the lost revenue from when the rear yard unexpectedly closed.

The committee decided not to recommend or oppose the application. Instead, the issue will be taken up at the next Community Board 2 meeting on June 4.

Deller asked Connolly to notify nearby residents of his plans. She said people who are for it or against should to come to the meeting to make their case.

“Sunnyside [Gardens] is a very quiet neighborhood and noise on the street can be controversial,” Deller said.

Meanwhile, Pat O’Brien, who didn’t put forward an opinion on the application, said: “I would rather see a good operator stay in business. When you have a good operator problems can be manageable.”