Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

You Told Us: Can a New Restaurant 'Destroy' a Residential Area?

By Emily Frost | December 7, 2015 1:13pm | Updated on December 8, 2015 6:41pm
 The Riverside Tower Hotel wants to open a high-end restaurant in its lobby.
The Riverside Tower Hotel wants to open a high-end restaurant in its lobby.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Emily Frost

You Told Us is a regular feature highlighting comments from people in the communities DNAinfo covers.

UPPER WEST SIDE — A plan by a local hotel owner to open a high-end restaurant in the lobby of a hotel at 80th Street and Riverside Drive provoked an outcry from neighboring residents who said the eatery would "destroy" the neighborhood.

In early December, the local community board made its final vote on the restaurant's bid for a liquor license, unanimously disapproving the hotel's application while noting the State Liquor Authority has agreed to follow its lead.

Whether they were in favor of the fowl-focused restaurant or believed it would be a "disgusting" addition to the area, readers had plenty to say. 

► "My how the world has changed!...Today the thought of enjoying a glass of wine with dinner on Riverside Drive has the neighborhood in revolutionary mode!" said one commenter on Neighborhood Square. 

► "I think it is shocking that the SLA would follow the lead of CB7's Nimby vote on this issue. Central Park West has a restaurant and bar, and no one seems to object to that... What is so special about Riverside Drive that makes this avenue immune from restaurants? The argument that the restaurant will bring rats, garbage, and terrible smells is a bogus one that can [be] avoided with proper covered trash containers, and proper venting," noted another Neighborhood Square commenter.

► "Cafe Des Artistes (and now The Leopard at des Artistes) has not diminished the residential stretch of CPW it has inhabited for almost 100 years. Quite the opposite in fact," yet another chimed in

► "[H]aving a restaurant in the neighborhood would be a delight and a welcomed addition to the neighborhood! There are 100's of kitchens in each building surrounding the area. There is also a lot of trash each building accumulates on their own. I cease to believe 1 small restaurant will bring all the rats and smells to Riverside Drive," a commenter wrote on Facebook. 

However, others described the concept of bringing a restaurant to that quiet corner as "commercial creep."

► "I would vote no to this, this could set a precedent for commercial creep west of West End Ave," said a Neighborhood Square commenter

► "You don't need a restaurant there. Its residential. Put the restaurant in a commercial area, along Columbus Ave or Broadway where it belongs," another said.  

It's not just the restaurant's residential location and the precedent set, but the byproducts of the establishment, others argued.

► "The rat problem in the park is already bad. This would make it worse," noted one Facebook commenter. 

► "Will also impact on traffic at already problematic intersection. Also, worth considering that there already has been big increase in trash on Riverside due to folks going to/coming from Riverside Park. Trash cans are overflowing," added a Neighborhood Square commenter.