Sixth Ward Makes Changes to Illegal Backyard; Public Will Not Hear License Renewal
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In response to grassroots action and negative media coverage, the Sixth Ward is seemingly on something of a defensive footing. But it’s still operating in a manner that has locals up in arms, and at all hours of the night.
The quick refresher is that the seven-year-old establishment operates an allegedly illegal 90-seat rear yard. Usage of this back patio should be moot, since there isn’t a valid Certificate of Occupancy for the space (expired 2007), nor a public assembly permit. This address has actually been denied such permits by the DOB 3 times – 2001, 2007, 2013. Ergo, maximum patrons allowed in the establishment (including yard, if permitted) is 74 patrons.
Plus there is also no secondary egress and a greenhouse-style enclosure of the pool table room that obstructs the fire escape. Regarding the latter, Sixth Ward has removed roughly 30% of the glass roofing of said structure to free the resident egress. That doesn’t address the overall issue of the structure itself, though; not to mention that this room is now also contributing to the intra-building echo chamber. One resident within earshot noted to us, “I can hear the [billiards] balls going into the pockets. It’s like a direct speaker into my bedroom. So it just keeps getting better and better over here.”
The DOB hearing to address the violations had been scheduled for ten days ago, but was postponed two months for unknown reasons.
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Illegal enclosure before the removal of top
Meanwhile, the Sixth Ward is up for a liquor license renewal on November 30. But again, for some reason, Community Board 3 in its infinite wisdom is not publicly hearing the case as a “renewal with complaint.” Apparently it was deemed too late in the process to post the agenda item.
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The enclosure without its glass ceiling
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