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Politics & Government

Pols Say CBs Didn't Approve Barclays 2 a.m. Liquor Plan

In a letter to the State Liquor Authority, local elected officials are asking for the Barclays Center's liquor license application back.

Local elected officials are now calling on the New York State Liquor Authority to return the back for Community Board review, saying that the arena’s intentions to serve liquor until 2 a.m. during non-NBA events were never approved.

Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, Assemblyman James Brennan and Councilwoman Letitia James have written to SLA Chairman Dennis Rosen and SLA Commissioner Jeanique Greene asking that the Barclay’s application “be immediately divided and … returned to Brooklyn Community Boards 2 and 6 for due consideration.”

“We are acting to protect the rights of our Community Boards to protect the interests of our local residents and businesses,” Montgomery said in a statement. “We are not calling for reconsideration by the Community Boards of those sections of the license application that address the operations during NBA events that were presented to the Community Boards; but we are insisting that the license applications for the other events and any portions of the Barclays Center that operate as clubs or restaurants that intend to serve alcohol after events, as revealed in this recent letter, be sent back to the Community Boards. These serious omissions endanger the entire license application. They must be remedied.”

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According to the letter, in a message “to Community Board 6 dated June 5, 2012 William Schrieber, a lawyer for Barclays Center developer Forest City Ratner revealed for the first time that the operator intends to continue to serve alcohol to patrons seated in premium seating and luxury boxes for an hour after events, up to a maximum last call of 2 a.m. This information was not provided to either of the Community Boards during their deliberations, as required by statute. Whether this was deliberate or an oversight, the application is seriously flawed by this omission.”

The letter continues: “The applicant is proposing that potentially 5,400 patrons would be consuming alcohol until 2 a.m., and then exiting the Arena in residential neighborhoods, a process that may take until 3 a.m. The Community Boards deserve to review these recently revealed proposals and craft stipulations in the best interest of their areas.”

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