BY COLIN MIXSON
Bring on the mimosas — but not too early.
Amendments to the state’s archaic Alcoholic Beverage Control Law sailed through both houses of the state legislature last week after Senate and Assembly majority leaders reached a compromise on the controversial so-called “brunch bill,” which will now allow city bars to start slinging drinks at 10 am on Sundays. The changes to the Sunday drinks bill resulted in a more moderate law, and locals are pleased with the changes.
“I don’t think it’s a problem,” said Tobi Bergman, chairman of Community Board 2, “at least not in our neighborhood.”
Originally, the brunch bill would have allowed local boozehounds to start liquoring up at 8 am, as opposed to the noon prohibition currently in affect on Sundays.
That legislation was based on recommendations provided by the 23 members of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law Working Group — a so-called “blue ribbon panel” of industry professionals and their lawyers, including Steven Harris, president of the New York State Beer Wholesalers Association, and Kelly Diggins, senior counsel for North American Breweries.
The group included only one local representative, Ebenezer Smith, the district manager of Community Board 12, which covers Washington Heights and Inwood in Upper Manhattan, and other community leaders felt slighted that the state had left them out of the loop.
“I think that some of the people who came up with these changes don’t know anything about our neighborhood, and that’s why the laws shouldn’t be changed this quickly,” said Jeff Ehrlich, co-chairman of Community Board 1’s Quality of Life Committee.
To protest the lack of local public input, a cadre of Manhattan elected officials, including state Sen. Daniel Squadron, Assemblymembers Alice Cancel, Deborah Glick and Richard Gottfried, and Councilmembers Margaret Chin and Rosie Mendez, rallied outside City Hall on June 3. They appealed to the state to provide locals with a more substantial opportunity to give input on Cuomo’s new legislation.
With the bills now passed, the issue of community participation has become academic, and some locals feel that changes reflecting the communities concerns were only made after the local elected officials and community boards rallied in the brief interlude between when the bills were announced in late May and voted on in June.
“We have no way of knowing if the working group’s recommendations would have become law without the last-minute input from the community boards and electeds. What works for small towns upstate does not necessarily work for a dense metropolis like NYC,” said Ehrlich.
Another main gripe among locals with the suite of changes to the so-called ABC Laws had been significant alterations to the “200-foot rule” for bar/restaurants, which would have opened up the possibility of watering holes — albeit, only those with a kitchen — situating themselves adjacent to houses of worship and schools, and posing very real quality-of-life concerns for Manhattan neighborhoods already oversaturated with nightlife.
At the time, locals were concerned that bars would surround cherished community institutions, but the bill that was ultimately voted through contained no changes to the “200-foot rule,” pleasing locals.
I’m glad they abandoned that,” said Community Board 1 member Marc Ameruso. “That’s a whole host of other problems with people drunk or intoxicated outside schools, getting into fights. You don’t want that next to kids.”
As to the Sunday brunch law, locals are generally satisfied that serving mimosas two hours earlier won’t infringe on their beauty sleep on the day of rest.
“We don’t see 10 on Sunday as a problem,” said Pat Moore, co-chair of Community Board 1’s Quality of Life Committee. “Eight o’clock is kind of ridiculous. I can’t speak for everyone, but I don’t’ think 10 is a problem. Most New Yorkers don’t go out to brunch until noon anyways.”
