Outdoor Drinks At Morristown St. Patrick's Day Parade? 1776 Permitted, Homestead Rejected

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Two Morristown restaurants and bars applied to extend their premises for outdoor drinking on the day of the Morris County St. Patrick's Day Parade. But only one had the luck of the Irish on its side at Tuesday's Town Council meeting.

The governing body approved an application from 1776 by David Burke Featuring Top Golf Suite to extend its outdoor-drinking area for March 12, the day of the parade. But the council rejected The Homestead's application to bring its celebrations to the nearby Woman's Club of Morristown parking lot.

The council also voted to allow the Fraternal Order of Eagles — a private club — to open its doors to the public on parade day, since all activity will be indoors and no public property will be affected.

Council members noted that 1776 isn't close to residential properties, while The Homestead sits right by several homes. The bar applied for an outdoor area that would bring in 500 to 1,000 extra people outdoors, which Council President Stefan Armington said would result in a clear noise violation.

The Homestead's History

Before the council rejected The Homestead's application, several residents from nearby Community Place urged officials not to allow it. One brought up Tashmoo — a bar next door to The Homestead under the same ownership.

When New Jersey prohibited outdoor dining earlier in the pandemic, Morristown allowed bars and restaurants some expansion of outdoor dining and drinking. But less than a week after Tashmoo received a special permit for an outdoor beer garden, officials revoked its license for failing to maintain social distancing. Several neighbors also complained about the noise.

"It was a disaster, not just as a COVID superspreader event, but the noise was incredible," said Rich Herburger, who lives on Community Place. "It could be heard a block away. I don’t understand why the residents of Community Place should have to endure this again."

But several community members spoke in favor of allowing The Homestead to expand on St. Patrick's Day. Supporters argued that businesses have struggled the past two years because of the pandemic, which resulted twice in the cancelation of the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

"I would hope that we could consider it, despite knowing it’s going to be noisy," said William Duggan, CEO of Morristown's Knights of Columbus Council. "But I hope this group could just consider that many of these establishments have lost a lot of money over the years."

Ultimately, all present council members rejected The Homestead's application, except for Council Member At Large Toshiba Foster, who abstained on both outdoor-drinking measures.

Several council members expressed that they needed to consider quality-of-life issues, despite the potential economic impacts of the pandemic and past parade cancelations.

"It just draws a lot of noise," said Council Vice President Sandi Mayer. "If we can keep this party inside at Homestead, I think that’s really coming to a great compromise."

The 1776 Discussion

1776, meanwhile, already has an outdoor patio. Their application, which the council accepted, allows the establishment to hold outdoor drinking around the other side of their building, by Pioneer Park.

Mayer expressed concerns that the application allows for outdoor drinking as early as 9 a.m. She worried that the time could set a precedent for other Morristown bars to apply for early-morning outdoor drinking.

"I just picture what’s going to happen next year," Mayer said. "I don’t want to be accused by any bar owner of favoring one group over another."

Town Attorney David Minchello noted that changing the hours of operation would require an ordinance change from the council. Several officials also said that the council could still accept or reject similar applications on a case-by-case basis.

Mayer said she was fine with applications proceeding on a case-by-case basis in the future.

Additionally, the town prohibits sidewalk cafés on parade day, according to Town Clerk Margot Kaye. So businesses applying for such extensions would need the capacity around their properties.

Armington and Council Members David Silva (at large), Robert Iannaccone (1st Ward) and Nathan Umbriac (3rd Ward) voted in favor of 1776's application, while Mayer voted against it.

Watch the full Town Council meeting below:

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