Community Board 10’s economic development committee is officially on the record: No liquor license renewal for Pompeii.
The CB 10 committee unanimously approved a resolution to oppose a state liquor license for beleaguered E. Tremont watering hole Pompeii Lounge at its meeting on Wednesday, May 4.
The resolution will go before the full community board at its next meeting on Tuesday, May 17. Pompeii’s liquor license is up for renewal on May 31.
Within the past two years, the SLA has charged Pompeii with several violations that include “suffering or permitting an altercation and/or assault” and “a sustained and continuing pattern of noise, disturbance, misconduct or disorder.”
The Department of Buildings received a complaint in March that Pompeii was “being used as a high occupancy night club” without a proper license. Pompeii was also fined earlier this year by the Department of Sanitation for illegally distributing fliers that CB 10 district manager Ken Kearns described as “lurid.”
Area residents have also complained about, and reported, violence that they believe originated at Pompeii. The community board’s vote is not binding, however, the State Liquor Authority is expected to take its recommendation into consideration.
“We don’t have the power to pull the license,” Kearns said at the meeting. “But if we advise the SLA , it should have a certain amount of weight.”
Kearns also said that he considered hampering any establishment’s ability to conduct business a serious issue, but he felt he did not any other options.
“The board doesn’t take it lightly,” he said. “The owner has put a lot of money in the place. But it’s a matter of public safety.”
Pompeii’s owners did not return calls for this story. Given the bar’s current standing with the SLA, its fate may be sealed before the full CB 10 board has a chance to pass judgment.
The SLA’s three-person board was set to review the charges against Pompeii on Wednesday, May 11. SLA spokesman Bill Crowley said that the board would likely decide whether to cancel or revoke Pompeii’s license. Non-renewal of a license, according to Crowley, is rare.
“The community sentiments are obviously carried very heavily by this agency when giving a license for the first time,” Crowley said. “There’s nothing special about the renewal process and we’re probably not going to deny at the renewal process.”
Given the nature of the charges against Pompeii, he said there was no guarantee it would still have a license in June.
“The more important issue is whether these charges would eventually lead to them having their charges canceled or revoked. Not renewing a license is a very high threshold,” said Crowley. “They’re serious cases, and certainly things we’ll look at.”
