GREENWICH VILLAGE — The new Starbucks on Bleecker Street is making a latte noise.
The coffee chain installed a deafening air-conditioning unit near neighbors' windows when it opened in the former Bleecker Street Records space over the summer, infuriating residents and prompting a slew of angry emails and 311 complaints.
“The residents of the courtyard [that faces the Starbucks air conditioning unit] have literally not had an uninterrupted night of rest since they opened,” said Dan Rabinowitz, one of the upset neighbors.
In response to residents' complaints, the Department of Environmental Protection sent an inspector to Rabinowitz's apartment on the evening of Oct. 15 and measured 56 decibels of noise from the roaring Starbucks compressor at 239 Bleecker St., officials said.
Air conditioners are not allowed to exceed 42 decibels, according to city code, so the DEP issued a violation to Starbucks and ordered the company to appear before the Environmental Control Board on Dec. 23, officials said.
In the meantime, residents have begged Starbucks to get a quieter air conditioner and, at the very least, to turn the current one off from 9 p.m. through 8 a.m. daily.
“In the front rooms of our home, we can barely conduct a telephone call in peace,” said Liz Diamond, another Starbucks neighbor.
Starbucks, though, has resisted residents' suggestions. After weeks of complaints, Eric Baker, corporate counsel for Starbucks, wrote to Rabinowitz in late September, insisting that the noise was "well within city code," according to a copy of the email shared with DNAinfo New York.
Baker offered to send someone to “explain the technology” of the HVAC system to Rabinowitz, "if this is still an issue."
Rabinowitz said he was astounded by the company's “cavalier and dismissive attitude.”
“In Manhattan, nearly every restaurant and bar faces similar issues,” Rabinowitz said. “Almost all of them solve their problems in a fashion that is respectful to their neighbors, either by moving such units to rooftop level or by installing units that will not disturb residents.”
When reached by DNAinfo, a Starbucks spokeswoman issued an apology to the community.
"At Starbucks, being a good neighbor in the communities we serve is very important to us," the spokeswoman wrote in an email.
"We want to apologize to the community for any disturbance the new HVAC system has caused. We appreciate the community’s feedback and are actively engaged with them and looking into the best solution for our neighbors and our business."
