Details on 190 Dean Eatery
Not long ago we noticed construction workers gutting 190 Dean and beginning work on a restaurant in the lower level of the building. We didn’t know much about the restaurant but some more details have emerged in the meantime. The proprietor of “ArugulaArugular NYC” spoke to CB2’s Health, Environment, and Social Services committee to ask…
Not long ago we noticed construction workers gutting 190 Dean and beginning work on a restaurant in the lower level of the building. We didn’t know much about the restaurant but some more details have emerged in the meantime. The proprietor of “ArugulaArugular NYC” spoke to CB2’s Health, Environment, and Social Services committee to ask for approval of a liquor license at 190 Dean. The space is slated to be a Northern Italian restaurant with a “country farm ambiance.” Because there were no signatures of support or floor plans for the establishment CB2 tabled the proposal. According to the minutes of the meeting, there was also concern that the restaurant would disrupt the atmosphere of the quiet neighborhood, in the heart of the historical district. Any opinions from Boerum Hill residents?
Major Reno for 190 Dean [Brownstoner] GMAP
I have to second Brooklyn Chicken in saying that I am concerned by this. For those of us who live right nearby this could be very disruptive. This is a very quiet corner and I dread the late night garbage pickup and the early am deliveries (not to mention the smokers, crying babies, cell phone users and those who have to “take it outside”). Any behavior that is unacceptable in a restaurant winds up outside on the sidewalk.
If you can’t handle a restaurant opening, move upstate.
OTOH, a storefront does not have to be a restaurant/bar. It could be professional’s offices, or a store, a Pilates studio or who knows what.
seems like NYC website having problems today. But if I remember correctly, the building permits issued for this address say nothing about putting in a restaurant/ventilation, etc.
I doubt the next door neighbor or across the street is too happy knowing that suddenly going to be living by a restaurant.
But if bongo finds these ‘odd storefronts’ creepy, by all means that is good reason to give them variance.
As a future resident of BH, I think this could be a great addition to the corner, like BoB is on Pacific. Execution and quality will determine how successful it is, but I think it works much better as a business than one of those odd storefronts turned residence, which I always find sort of creepy and abandoned looking.
g man — thanks
By the book, the owner would need to apply to the Board of Standards and Appeals for a variance. The right to use this space as a bar or restaurant in an R6 district lapsed after the storefront wasn’t used commercially for two years. The owner would have to meet the “five findings” listed in Section 72-21 of the Zoning Resolution: unique physical condition, no reasonable possibility of reasonable return, no alteration to the character of the neighborhood, hardship was not self-imposed, and the variance is the minimum to grant relief.
I say “by the book” because the owner or tenant shouldn’t even have been able to get the Buildings Department permits, clearly evident in the window, if this was going “by the book.” Perhaps there is some extenuating circumstance here that trumps my stock response above.
This Boerum Hill resident has mixed feelings. Yes, Building on Bond adds much (and certainly more than the “bodega” that preceeded it), and yes, Brooklyn Inn sits nearby, but another restaurant / bar is starting to feel like a lot. BoB, for example, has definitely increased street noise at night. And I don’t appreciate the lurking smokers outside it or The Brooklyn Inn.
On the other hand, I respect a new owner’s right (and maybe necessity) to make some money from his dearly purchased property. He probably bought the place with the intention of using the bottom floor for the commercial space it is evidently zoned for, and who am I to deny him that?
He should take a page from BoB. BoB could be just a nighttime bar, but they’ve instead worked hard to be a neighborhood asset. He’s already started, reaching out to the neighborhood via the Boerum Hill listserve.
Can anyone explain how one can open a commerical venture in an R6 district with no commerical overlay? I am just curious in understanding the mechanics of it. (I am assuming that there has not been any commerical activity here in a long time — I live close by and I don’t recall seeing anything in this storefront for the last decade or so.)
(I tried posting this earlier, but for some reason it’s not appearing. My apologies if I have double posted.)