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 carousel at Pier 62. Manhattan-based Merchants Hospitality, Inc. — described on its Web site 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, and received a mixed response. The committee did not make a recommendation either to approve or deny the plan.
C.B. 4 Chairperson Christine Berthet said the community board has no plans to hold a special meeting for public comment on the issue, adding that concerned residents can attend relevant C.B. 4 committee meetings and sign up for the public comment section of full board meetings, which are held the first Wednesday of each month.
Residents who attended the July 9 meeting were dismayed by Merchants’ plan to apply for a full liquor license — not just beer and wine, as residents had thought. The current proposal would reduce the amount of 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 would use the $225,000 generated annually from the beer garden. In addition, the length of the 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 and 23rd Sts.). She added, though, that the organization has not yet decided on a specific plan moving forward.
Blair said the beer garden’s proximity to the carousel would require that some type of barrier prevent the former’s patrons from crossing paths with children. But more than anything, longtime residents said that the emerging partnership between the company and the Park Trust could undermine the spirit that inspired neighborhood activists to organize and push for years to establish the Chelsea Waterside Park, located between W. 23rd and W. 24th Sts., west of 11th Ave.
The proposed beer garden would occupy land that was secured for community 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,” he said. “The beer garden would be next to the carousel — how appropriate. I think it would be a step backwards,” he said of allowing the beer garden.
Abraham Merchant, founder of Merchants Hospitality, said that he was not at the meeting and referred questions to a representative who did not respond to multiple requests for comment made via telephone and e-mail.
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.
Debbie Plummer, a mother and former Chelsea resident, 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 6-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. Yet 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 about 100 feet away.
“I like that I get to see lots of other people do other sports,” said Onnah Plummer, 9.
But neighborhood activists are steadfastly committed to their ideals and their vision of what defines a community-minded park.
“A lot of people believe that parks should be used for public use — not be leased out and allowed to be used for businesses,” said Bill Borock, president of the Council of Chelsea Block Associations.
