New Bar Will Replace Mona

Members of Community Board 7, along with 20 residents of the Morningside Heights neighborhood, gathered Wednesday night to discuss the addition of a new bar to an area that already boasts many.

Sean McGarr plans to open a bar called Village Pourhouse at 109th Street and Amsterdam, at the former home of the Columbia haunt Mona’s, which closed last semester. CB7 unanimously passed his application for a liquor license at Wednesday night’s meeting. Despite the vote, residents in attendance objected to the prospect of yet another drinking establishment in their neighborhood.

“We already have four bars on my corner,” said Arlene Mehlman, a resident of a nearby apartment building. “It’s the noisiest, dirtiest block in the entire area. My own children, who live in Boston, won’t visit me because they are scared of the neighborhood.”
Residents in attendance said they worried about additional noise and the kind of clientele Pourhouse would attract.

In an effort to soothe concerns about noise, McGarr explained in great detail his plans to soundproof the restaurant and keep the volume low. He said that alcohol constituted only half of his establishment’s business.

He was unable to assuage residents’ fears. Jorgelina Sabez, one of the younger residents in attendance, cautioned that this kind of business would hurt the already troubled neighborhood. “There are fights in the street all the time,” she said, adding that the police often come too late to end the fights.

Residents associated these incidents, along with the drug deals in their neighborhood, with the kind of businesses that have moved there.

“The combination of the drug deals in the area and drunken Columbia students make ours a combustible issue,” said Lorelei Fieles, another resident and a social worker at St. Luke’s. “I would like to see fewer seats at the bar and less alcohol being served.”

Prior to opening his first restaurant, McGarr ran the East Village landmark Webster Hall, a 3,000 seat performance space and nightclub. “I want people to feel comfortable in their own homes,” McGarr said. “As a business owner, you have to follow all the community requirements.”

Kyle Boots can be reached at news@columbiaspectator.com.