BY ZACH WILLIAMS | An idea to put a beer garden in a family-friendly area of Chelsea parkland has aroused opposition and skepticism among some longtime residents who say public spaces should not serve private interests.
The proposed venue would occupy a parcel of what is currently a large lawn near the carousal at Pier 62. Manhattan-based Merchants Hospitality, Inc. — described on their website as a “full service hospitality company with expertise in investment, development, ownership and management of real estate, restaurants and hotels” — would manage the project.
On July 9, a Merchants representative presented the current plan to the Waterfront, Parks & Environment Committee of Community Board 4 (CB4), which received a mixed response. The committee did not decide either way on the matter.
CB4 Chair Christine Berthet said in a July 29 telephone interview that CB4 has no plans to convene a stand-alone meeting for public comment, adding that concerned residents can attend applicable CB4 committee meetings and sign up for the public comment section of its monthly full board meeting (first Wed. of the month).
Residents who attended the July 9 meeting told Chelsea Now that they are dismayed by Merchants’ plan to file for a full liquor license (not just beer and wine as they thought). The current proposal would reduce seating from 250 to 200 and eliminate the bleacher seating from the original presentation. Amplified music and operating hours until 2 a.m. are also points of contention, along with a lack of details surrounding how the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) would use the $225,000 generated annually from the beer garden’s presence (the length of whose lease was not given at the meeting).
“Our opinion is that it would be good for the [parkland] to not have a business, but [if so] the business should be family-friendly,” said Jean Blair, co-president of the West 400 Block Association (which represents the blocks between Ninth and 10th Aves. on W. 21st, 22nd & 23rd Sts.). She added, though, that the organization has not decided yet on a specific plan moving forward.
Blair says proximity to the carousel would necessitate that some type of division prevent beer garden patrons from crossing paths with children. But more than anything, longtime residents said that the emerging partnership between the company and HRPT could undermine the spirit which inspired neighborhood activists to organize and push for years in order to establish Chelsea Waterside Park (btw. W. 23rd & W. 24th Sts., west of 11th Ave.). It is a matter of debate whether the park stretches to the Hudson River.
Neighborhood park activists who succeeded in transforming the formerly industrial area of waterfront into parkland said the matter of park boundaries is beside the point, even though they maintain that Chelsea Waterside Park stretches west of 11th Ave. The proposed beer garden would occupy land that was secured for much more communal purposes, according to Robert Trentlyon, founder of the Chelsea Waterside Park Association.
“The great lawn is used for picnicking and for children and parents playing games. The beer garden would be next to the carousel — how appropriate. I think [the beer garden] would be a step backwards,” he said in an interview echoing his statement to the committee on July 9. Abraham Merchant, founder of Merchants Hospitality, said that he was not at the meeting and referred Chelsea Now to a representative who did not respond to multiple requests for comment made via telephone and email.
Chelsea residents of a later generation though, who visited the proposed site of the beer garden on July 20, expressed support for having a place where they could enjoy a brew so close to the many other amenities nearby.
“It’s a great family outing where my daughter can run free,” said Brent Dougherty, a Chelsea resident who brought his toddler to the park on Mon., July 20. His wife, Leile Shams, added that her concern with a potential beer garden merely extended to the possibility that more people might frequent the park, especially on hot summer days.
A mother, former Chelsea resident Debbie Plummer, relaxed on the lawn a few yards away from Dougherty and Shams. Plummer said that the lawn made an ideal place to wait for her six-year-old daughter, who was taking a class at the nearby Chelsea Piers — especially considering the available shade and the lack of similar options east of the highway. But she had no qualms with the idea of a beer garden, while her other daughter said that she enjoyed the diverse features of the park, as a group of martial artists twirled long wooden staffs a hundred feet away.
“I like that I get to see lots of other people do other sports,” said nine-year-old Onnah Plummer.
But neighborhood activists remain committed to their underlying ideals, which continue to inspire a strong level of commitment.
“A lot of people believe that parks should be used for public use, not being leased out and allowed to be used for businesses,” said Bill Borock, president of the Council of Chelsea Block Associations.
