INWOOD — Several weeks after State Sen. Adriano Espaillat announced his intention to ban “on-premise” liquor licenses for a year, Community Board 12 officials and local business owners say he has yet to provide any details about the proposed moratorium.
Espaillat held a press conference on Oct. 22 to reveal plans to stop the influx of liquor licenses in the community, a community concern that reached a peak in 2014, when the number of licenses in Inwood nearly doubled. The noise complaints to 311 also increased, according to the city's data.
Espaillat also reiterated the moratorium at a CB12 full board meeting on Oct 27, promising to provide more details within a week.
But as of Tuesday, Espaillat's team said they were still meeting with businesses to discuss details, after which point they planned to present to CB12. They did not immediately provide a timeline for when they expected to go before CB12.
Currently, new businesses seeking a liquor license must go before CB12 for a vote for or against their application, after which the State Liquor Authority can ultimately rule to accept or reject the board's vote.
The SLA can not ban liquor licenses strictly because they fall inside an individual neighborhood, according to spokesman William Crowley. The most they can do is to limit or ban a class of license applications in a particular county, he said.
The last time their office imposed a moratorium in New York County was in 2006, effective from Sep. 6 through Dec. 31, in order to review the 500-foot rule that prohibits establishments from serving alcohol too close to churches or schools, according to SLA documents.
Espaillat's proposal got mixed reviews from existing businesses and advocacy groups.
Critics said the moratorium isn't the answer, and will instead harm the good businesses already in place.
Jose Morales, owner of APT 78, who has owned and managed several Uptown businesses since 2008, said a steady collection of new business is good for everyone. He added that Espaillat's proposed moratorium would stifle growth.
"Who are they," Morales said, "to deny others that chance?"
For Edson Familia of Beans & Vines, the new ban proposal just isn't feasible.
Familia said CB12 is already responsible for the licenses, and that it would be better for them to reinforce the rules already in place and work to remove the licenses of those getting the most complaints than to make someone else responsible for it.
"Think about it," Familia said, "it doesn't make sense."
However, Nancy Preston, executive director of Moving Forward Unidos, supports the direction Espaillat is going with the moratorium.
Her organization has petitioned against restaurant and bar openings since 2013, a cause she says has gotten little to no response in the past.
"It's not that businesses are bad," she said, "they just need to be managed...and that’s the point of our leaders. It can be done,” she added, “but you really have to get everyone on board.”
