By Tara Kyle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CHELSEA — Get ready for a cold brew on the High Line — the elevated park's plan to offer beer and wine at two locations this summer received the support of Community Board 4 Wednesday night.
This summer, Friends of the High Line plan to serve up alcohol on the Chelsea Market Passage, located above Tenth Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets, and at street level beneath the soon-to-open second sections northern tip, located between 29th and 30th Streets near Tenth Avenue.
The latter, by far the larger of the two operations with a total capacity of 350, attracted more reservations from the board, but still passed with a majority vote.
Assuming the State Liquor Authority signs off on the application, Friends of the High Line would place two bars underneath the northern tip of the elevated rail line, in a space shared with family-friendly activities that may include movie screenings, live music and a roller rink.
Part of the goal is to bring life to a long desolate section of the neighborhood, organizers said.
"We want to help nascent businesses in northern Chelsea thrive," said Friends of the High Line co-founder Joshua David. "When you got to 30th Street on the High Line, you didn't want to go down on the street."
Several neighbors in that area, including Sean Kelly Gallery director Maureen Bray, spoke out in favor of the application in the hopes that it would bring more revenue to surrounding blocks.
Prices offered for meals in the area will likely run between $2-$7 per person, with beer and wine options priced at $7-8 a glass, according to Friends of the High Line Director of Food Melina Shannon-DiPietro. Colicchio & Sons will manage the operation.
Fifteen blocks south above Chelsea Market, the space for beer, wine and food above Chelsea Market has a capacity of just 40.
The High Line has not yet announced its choice of food vendors, but will do so in the coming weeks.
