By Carla Zanoni
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — A neighborhood bar may not have its liquor license renewed after Community Board 12 overruled a committee that approved the renewal just weeks ago.
At the board meeting, community residents voiced concerns about the Monkey Room serving alcohol in the largely residential Hudson Heights area.
Michael Waldron, a 27-year-resident of the neighborhood, said noise, excessive drinking and violence have plagued the bar since it opened five years ago.
“This problem is not going away,” he said.
Police at a committee meeting earlier this month said they had no record of community complaints about the establishment, located at 589 Fort Washington Avenue, but Waldron said he believed the lack of 311 and 911 calls from the community had more to do with fatigue and a belief that their complaints were not being heard.
Several members of the community board agreed.
“This is not the first time we hear there is a problem at the Monkey Room,” said CB12 member Steve Simon.
But others said the owners seemed to have taken significant steps to remedy the problems.
"I am conflicted. On the one hand I understand the concerns of residents, but on the other I believe we should support our small business owners," CB12 member Elizabeth Lorris Ritter said.
The board's economic development committee voted in favor of the license on Dec. 7.
Monkey Room owner Jacob Sosa did not attend the CB12 meeting, but said he was surprised and dismayed upon hearing the bad news on Wednesday.
"This is a bar for regulars, people from the neighborhood," the Washington Heights native said. "I don’t feel I am a problem. The police do not have a problem with me. I don’t understand why I am getting such a negative response."
The Monkey Room's application will now be reviewed by the State Liquor Authority.
Even without the board’s approval, Sosa could still receive a license from the SLA, as the community board only serves in an advisory role.
