BY JESS SCANLON | London-based company Spring Studios will soon open its first American outpost, Spring Studios New York, in Tribeca. One task lies in its path — getting a liquor license.
The extensive application was discussed at last month’s meeting of Community Board 1’s Tribeca Committee. Although a community board’s vote is only advisory, it eases the application process. Spring Studios New York property at 50 Varick Street is a multi-floor 48,482 square foot venue that boasts capacity for 3,027 people. The original closing time listed on the application was 4 a.m. all week, 2 a.m. for the rooftop area. These times are debatable said Warren Pesetsky, the lawyer representing Spring Studios.
“You go in with a wish list to the community board meeting,” he said later.
Pesetsky continued that these hours were a starting point. At next month’s meeting, he would come with a modified proposal.
Liquor licenses are a common agenda item for this committee. Braus estimates that it gets between three and ten applications in the average month. Spring Studios’ application will be postponed until January. An application typically gets an approval from the committee and full board before going to the State Liquor Authority for further processing. However, Spring Studio’s application was odd for a few reasons.
Spring Studios, a privately held company, works with the fashion industry for photo-shoots, digital editing and similar services. A portion of its business would involve holding events that may involve celebrity guests and “paparazzi gates.” This point caused some concern that the business would dissolve into a nightclub-like setting of thousands.
Director of events David Hemphill insisted that the largest events hosted in Tribeca would be more likely involve 300-400 people in attendance. For some members of the community board, something seemed off.
“We’re not going to have an event of 3,000 people,” he said.
Hemphill continued that the space would not be appropriate for an event that large downplaying the fact that the building’s capacity would allow it to be that type of venue.
“It’s a nightclub. It’s too big a venue, too big a risk to the community,” said Marc Ameruso, a Tribeca Committee member.
Ameruso said that he had seen this sort of application before in the mid ‘90s. Applicants applied to open businesses with similar hours. He thinks Spring Studios is too close to a nightclub for his liking.
“They need to scale down [their hours],” he said.
Spring Studios New York acquired portions of 50 Varick Street, also known as the Verizon building, early in the summer of 2012. The namesake company is still one of many owners of the property, which has been divided into a condominium-style set-up. The property is immediately near some of the Holland Tunnel exits, a point Ameruso made in his argument against the liquor license.
Eventually the application was put aside because it was decided that it could not be approved in its current form. Pesetsky put forward this suggestion, saying that he would return with stipulations for the venue.
However, the Tribeca Committee welcomed the arrival of a business that would bring new employment opportunities to the neighborhood. The company estimates it will create 300 new jobs by opening this new location in Tribeca.
“Anything that creates jobs I’d support,” Braus said.
At the Tribeca location, it plans to have in-house dining for employees and clients. Additionally it plans a small lounge that would be open to the public as dictated by the terms of a liquor license. The lounge would be located on the second floor.
Alcohol would also be served on floors five through seven and the rooftop under the plan presented in December. Based on the plans submitted as a part of the application, these spaces are largely studio areas designed for photo shoots and events like fashion shows in their day-to-day usage. However drinks would be readily available for any client who wanted to order one.
Like a restaurant, bar or hotel, a single liquor license would apply to the entire property owned by Spring Studios at the address. However, a business not of any of these three categories applying for a liquor license is a bit unusual.
“It’s definitively a unique situation,” said Evan Lacher, a Board 1 staffer. “We’re used to restaurants and bars applying for liquor licenses.”
