Jan. 15, 2016 By Michael Florio
A Steinway Street bar’s liquor license application was rejected by Community Board 1 after neighbors complained about its patrons’ drunken and unruly behavior.
The Board voted against Heaven Sports Bar, located at 28-26 Steinway St., at its monthly meeting Tuesday night.
Though its business name is listed as Heaven Sports Bar, the establishment promotes itself as a “gentlemen’s club” on its social media pages. A spokesman for CB 1’s Consumer Affairs Committee, which handles liquor license applications, also referred to Heaven as a bikini bar.
Before the full board vote, the Consumer Affairs Committee voted against the license renewal after discovering that neighboring businesses have complained about the establishment to the Steinway Business Improvement District.
The BID, also known as the Steinway Astoria Partnership, has received ongoing complaints from a handful of neighboring shops, according to Executive Director Marie Torniali, who is also a member of CB 1.
“We have received complaints about patrons leaving the bar [Heaven] inebriated and causing trouble in other businesses,” she said. “They have vomited, laid down or carried on in these businesses.”
She said the adjacent businesses are not bars, but shops.
“About three or four businesses complained,” she said. “It wasn’t a solitary incident, this has been ongoing for about a year.”
The establishment has been prone to criminal activity, although nothing major, a spokesman for the Consumer Affairs Committee said.
The State Liquor Authority and the NYPD carried out a Multi-Agency Response to Community Hotspots (MARCH) order on Oct. 3, in which 12 SLA violations and three criminal court summonses were issued against Heaven, the spokesman told the Astoria Post.
“Between this joint venture and, mainly, the complaints, the committee quickly realized that this establishment was causing a lot of problems for the community,” the spokesman said.
“Due to all of these factors we decided to recommend against the application,” he added.
The committee voted to recommend disapproval of the application by a count of 10 votes to two. The Board then unanimously voted to move forward with this recommendation.
The Board will send its recommendation to the SLA, which ultimately makes the final decision.
Phone calls to numbers associated with Heaven Sports Bar and its owners were not answered.
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One Comment
Oh well The Talent Show didn’t work at The Elmwood, neither did the Prequeal Scene to Star Wars
But maybe next time.
.