File Photo
May 19, 2016 By Michael Florio
A Ditmars Boulevard bar and restaurant got a green light for outdoor seating this week, but not before significant criticism and a few compromises.
The owners of The Pomeroy, located at 36-12 Ditmars Blvd., went before Community Board 1 Tuesday night as part of their application for 16 sidewalk seats and eight accompanying tables.
The operators of the bar, which has been open for about eight months, discovered that their application was not embraced by their neighbors.
Several neighboring business owners and residents sent letters to CB 1 complaining about The Pomeroy’s patrons. They claimed that the bar’s customers were noisy, blocked apartment entrances, smoked outside, dropped their cigarette butts and even were known for vomiting.
One business owner collected about a dozen letters from residents who opposed the application and sent them to CB 1 ahead of the meeting.
“We are saying no, absolutely no,” the business owner said on Tuesday. “We say this because this is a bar, not a restaurant. There are always crowds of people outside.”
However, others spoke in favor of the outdoor seating application.
Blake Rice, who said he lives in an apartment upstairs from the bar/restaurant, described The Pomeroy owners as good neighbors.
“They are easy to work with,” he said. “I am glad to have them as neighbors.”
Michael McGuire and his business partner, Bo O’Connor, agreed to a number of conditions in order for their application to be approved. They agreed to disperse patrons in orderly fashion to reduce noise and cigarette smoke. They also said they would keep apartment entrances clear; try to keep the front door and center window closed to reduce noise; and clean their sidewalk three times a day.
They also promised to reach out to the 114 Precinct’s community affairs department every three months to go over any quality of life complaints.
Board members also expressed concern about the width of the sidewalk– especially with the outdoor seating. They were unsure whether it was wide enough for pedestrians to get through since there is a tree and a bicycle rack partially blocking the way. However, McGuire said that he had reached out to the Department of Transportation and the bike rack will be removed.
Nevertheless many Board members still thought outdoor seating would not leave adequate space for pedestrians, and ultimately decided to cut the number of seats requested in half. The Board voted to recommend approval of an outdoor café at The Pomeroy with four tables and eight chairs.
The application now goes to the Department of Consumer Affairs, which makes the final decision.
Several other businesses went before the Board seeking a positive recommendation for outdoor seating.
Singlecut Beersmiths (19-33 37th Street), Hinomaru Ramen (33-18 Ditmars Blvd), Hinomaru Ko Ramen (42-06 30th Ave), Portalia Ristorante (35-03 Broadway), and Basurero Bar & Restaurant (32-17 Steinway Street) all received a thumbs up from CB 1 for outdoor cafes.
