200-Foot-Rule Pushes Bars Back from Churches, Schools

Two state legislators from Brooklyn are leading an effort to tighten a loophole in a State Liquor Authority rule prohibiting bars from opening within 200 feet of schools and places of worship. This would save pious worshipers from temptation by the devil's spirits, and prevent their prayers from being distracted by the sounds of sinful barroom chatter. The current law allows liquor license applicants to measure the distance from door-to-door, but if the new bill passes (it was already approved by the Senate), the SLA will start measuring it from the property lines.

"The spirit of the bill is that we don’t get overwhelmed by bars and restaurants," Carroll Gardens resident Glenn Kelly tells the Post. Can you imagine what a nightmare New York would turn into if more places to eat and drink opened up?! Under this loophole, one bar was even able to open on Court Street directly across the from St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church, because their doors were technically just far enough apart. God only knows how many sober souls Satan plucked from that congregation. You are saviors, Senator Dan Squadron and Assemblymember Joan Millman!

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By John Del Signore in Food on March 4, 2010 4:16 PM

Comments [rss]

ProcedureTurn

Homer the Heretic! (Season 4)

Ch-ch-ch-check it out...

Mordicai

I'm all for legislation that keeps churches at least 200ft from schools!

That's What She Said

This is one of those "20 years ago in the News" items, right?

Could some sensible people please pass an ordinance that bans churches from operating within 200 yards of a bar, restaurant, school, or my house?

More people attend bars than churches - if one of the two is to be given right-of-way, certainly it should be the bars.

dadoc

Another archaic "Blue Law". Ditch that law, free enterprise, tax-free religious institutions deserve no special protection from what they don't like. The amount of money spent every year on this mess (mainly lawyer's fees and SLA bribes and kickbacks) could do a lot of good.

S.K.

I can't believe that a young, supposedly forward-thinking Sen. Squadron is the sponsor of this bill.

Thinky Think

Its ironic there are so many churches, yet so many sinners. Plus nobody loves the blood of jesus(alcohol) more than good old christians.

tsk_tsk_tsk

so lets' get this straight: the economy is in the shitter (for real people), taxpaying small business owners are struggling, and the govt is going to shut down some of these taxpaying businesses out of oversensitivity to a bunch of religious people who are tax exempt?

enough already. what nonsense. there's nothing to prevent the church around the corner from ringing their bells at an ungodly hour and waking me up, why should they be sheltered from the realities of city life?

Politburo

This wouldn't affect existing approvals.

Kelles

this may cause some teachers to get back late from lunch break!

pd2009

I prefer to think of it as keeping the church further away from my bar.

jaycjay

"have successfully tightened a loophole"

No, they haven't. All that's happened so far is that their bill has passed the Senate. It's now been handed to the Assembly, where it's been assigned to the Economic Development committee.

That happened on Monday; the Assembly has taken no further action on it so far.

A couple of versions of essentially the same bill have been in the Assembly since last year. Remember that "how a bill becomes a law" lesson? One of those bills will also have to pass before the reconciliation step can begin. Then final approval, then the Governor's signature.

If all of that happens, they will have been "successful."

iamdmg

whatever man, as long as I can still drag my 2 year into the bar with me I am a happy man

John Clavis

When is someone going to pass a law requiring that houses of worship be located a minimum distance from schools? Priests are a worse influence than barflies...