Choptank restaurant (308-310 Bleecker St, between 7th and Grove) is applying for a permit to have sidewalk seating in front of the restaurant for the next two years. The application will be on the agenda of the Department of Consumer Affairs on May 26th, and 2pm, and the Community Board 2 in the near future.

A sidewalk cafe will be a huge source of noise and disturbance on Bleecker Street for the next two years. Residents who live above the restaurant, as well as those in adjacent and opposite buildings, will be disturbed by the diners' conversations, glasses and plates clinking, and inevitable drunken revelry. The restaurant is already very loud--with daytime delivery trucks and back patio/garden seating that goes late into the evening--and additional sidewalk seating will make it extremely unpleasant and noisy to live above or near the restaurant.

There will also inevitably be people smoking at the tables or while waiting for tables. Since the sidewalk seating will be directly under 308 Bleecker's and 310 Bleecker's apartments' windows, it will expose residents--both adults and children--to second-hand smoke. 

During the warmer months, the spillover crowd (smoking, talking, and waiting for tables) beyond the sidewalk cafe enclosure effectively could make it hard to use the sidewalk itself, as well as increase the noise level considerably.
Therefore, we strongly urge the Community Board 2 TO DENY the application for a sidewalk cafe permit by Choptank.

Please have each member of your household sign this petition, and please forward it to other concerned neighborhood residents.