Don’t hoist that Trophy just yet.
Community Board 1 overwhelming approved the renewal of a Williamsburg bar’s liquor license, though adding that the bar must abide by the board’s stipulations in order to continue operating.
For months, Trophy Bar (351 Broadway) has been in the cross hairs of Community Board 1’s public safety committee as residents have complained about noise from the bar’s backyard. The popular hangout spot for hipsters and south siders under the elevated JMZ line has often kept crowds until 3 or 4 am on weekends, which has vexed neighbors, including Community Board 1 member Gina Barrows.
“People came to us with complaints about the noise issue,” said Public Safety Chair Mieszko Kalita. “The bar next to them is an example of cooperation. They built an enclosure over the yard. It is completely enclosed. There are no noise issues with his property. Trophy Bar, they are very, very loud in their back yard. They sometimes stay open in their backyard until 4 am, which is against CB1 policy.”
With their license up for renewal, Barrows and Kalita used the opportunity to add stipulations to the bar’s application to reduce sound coming from the backyard by adding more durable outdoor fencing and limiting hours of operations to 11 pm on weekday nights and 1 am on Friday and Saturday nights.
According to Public Safety committee members, the bar’s owners have been cooperative in meeting with Barrows and her neighbors to some extent, which caused the committee to approve their renewal, but the committee members want the owners to follow their suggestions.
An employee reached at Trophy Bar referred all questions to the bar’s owners, who did not return calls for comments by the time this article went to press.
If the bar owners sign the stipulations presented by Community Board 1, they will get their license renewed by the State Liquor Authority, although the stipulations are not binding.
“Hopefully SLA will not renew their license without seeing signed stipulations,” said Kalita.
