By Jordan Heller
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
SOHO — A quiet SoHo block could soon be in for some unwanted excitement if the uptown celebrity hotspot Nello succeeds in getting a liquor license for its new downtown location, residents fear.
Thomas Makkos, who owns Nello at 696 Madison Ave. that caters to celebrities like Mickey Rourke, Charlize Theron, Jay-Z, Beyonce Knowles and Kanye West, started a buzz among SoHo insiders when he filed a liquor license application for 67 Greene St. under the business name Nello.
Makkos' application will be reviewed by Community Board 2 on Tuesday, which could be an uphill battle for Makkos, who earned his fortune by cornering the hot dog and pretzel cart market in New York City, some community residents said.
"The last thing we need here in SoHo is the glitterati from the Upper East Side coming down here to slum," said Sean Sweeney, the executive director of SoHo Alliance, a neighborhood organization that has fought to keep rowdy bars and nightclubs out of SoHo.
"We're the watchdogs," said Sweeney, who added that, over the last two decades, SoHo Alliance has successfully sued the State Liquor Authority, which grants liquor licenses, more than any other community group.
Multiple calls to Thomas Makkos for comment were not returned.
George Rosenfeld, 75, a neighbor of 67 Greene St., said he plans to attend Tuesday's meeting to voice his opposition to Makkos's liquor license application.
"We've had other battles with people who want to get a liquor license on this street, and we'll have one with Makkos, too," said Rosenfeld, who is concerned about a new liquor license bringing late-night noise, drunk patrons and added traffic to an otherwise quiet block.
Sweeney and Rosenfeld said they're opposed to anyone looking to sell alcohol on Greene Street, but said Makkos gives them added cause for concern because of his celebrity clientele.
Sweeney is worried about what a Nello Downtown would do to the neighborhood.
"We don't want Greene Street to turn into the Meatpacking District," he said.
Community Board 2 will discuss the liquor license application for 67 Greene Street at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at 32 Waverly Pl., room 405.
