Lower East Side Board Votes to Deny Liquor License to New Clinton Street Restaurant

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY —Taqueria Diana's third Manhattan restaurant will take over the storefronts of two former businesses, C&C Prosperity Dumping and La Socia Pawn, on Clinton Street this spring. While construction plans are coming along for the 16-seat eatery, proprietors are facing some difficulties obtaining a liquor license, DNAinfo reports.

The New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) 500-foot rule states that when there are three or more on-site liquor licenses within a 500-foot radius, the applicant must show that granting a license to the business in question would be in the public interest and serve a public benefit.

There are 16 liquor-serving businesses within 500 feet of the proposed restaurant, so Taqueria Diana representatives went before Community Board 3's SLA subcommittee on Monday to discuss the benefit of serving a limited alcohol menu of tequila, Mexican beer, wine and mezcal at 69 Clinton St.

Restaurant representatives gathered 55 signatures and nine letters from neighbors who supported the idea of Taqueria Diana serving alcohol.

The board voted to deny the license.

Board members claimed the amount of booze-serving restaurants in the area is overwhelming and that there was no clear public benefit in allowing another. They also noted that Taqueria Diana's other locations in the East Village and Chelsea don't serve liquor.

The subcommittee's vote needs approval from the full board on Dec. 20. Then, the proposal will go before the SLA, which ultimately makes the final call for Taqueria Diana.

Read the full DNAinfo article here.

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