Since it launched last year the Brooklyn Flea food-only offshoot Smorgasburg has been an unqualified success. But you know what would make it (and most things) better? Local booze. Sadly, however, not everyone in the community agrees and co-founder Eric Demby now needs to scramble for signatures if he wants to have local libations on North Sixth Street by the time the outdoor food fun restarts on April 7. more ›

Earlier this month, Williamsburg bar owners were up in arms over a new Community Board restriction that would require all new liquor license applicants seeking CB approval to have a full kitchen if they want an outdoor space. It's a move basically designed to ruin backyard bars and get more "civilized" restaurants in the neighborhood, and bar owners are none too pleased with the rule. more ›

Williamsburg's Community Board 1, which you may recall as the group that wants to ban anything fun (namely, new liquor licenses and waterfront concerts), is at it again, putting the kibosh on rooftop and backyard bars in the neighborhood. more ›

Over the weekend, a New York Post reporter risked her life staying in Zuccotti Park and wrote that it is "quickly becoming one of the most dangerous places in New York City." Now, the tabloid has discovered shocking news that Occupy Wall Street has events planned through 2025! This leaderless, rag-tag group of smelly "vagabonds" have a tightly regimented schedule that they will surely follow 14 years from now! more ›

"You are out of order, sir!" Gordon Crovitz, former publisher of the Wall Street Journal, had just interrupted Community Board 1's Executive Committee discussion with shouts of "Take responsibility!" and had to be silenced by board's chair Julie Menin. Crovitz was one of the six public speakers who spoke out against Occupy Wall Street at last night's meeting, as opposed to the 21 others who praised the movement. A resolution that limits loud noise to two hours a day, arranges access to off-site bathrooms for the protesters and "opposes the use of excessive and unnecessary force by the City of New York and/or Brookfield properties to address this situation" was enthusiastically passed. more ›

Tonight's meeting of the full Community Board 1 will test the evolving compromise between neighborhood representatives and the Occupy Wall Street protesters. Pulse, the group of drummer-protesters who have organized to assert their rights, agreed to limit their drumming to four hours a day during last night's General Assembly meeting. For a leaderless, nebulous movement, finite agreements are an important step. But CB 1's Quality of Life and Financial District committees didn't approve of four hours of drumming last week, they agreed on two. more ›

During the first weekend of Occupy Wall Street last month, we saw very few tents in Zuccotti Park, and in fact a spokesperson for Occupy Wall Street told us that the NYPD would direct them to remove any tents or tarps they put up. It seems that this is no longer the case. As the weather gets colder more protesters find the need to protect themselves from the elements, Zuccotti Park is now full of tents, and the NYPD, taking its cue from Brookfield Properties, is not forcing protesters to remove them. more ›

Neighbors sick and tired of the protestors down at Occupy Wall Street now have a number to call that isn't 311. At the urging of City Councilwoman Margaret Chin, whose district includes Zuccotti Park, the month-old protest has created a dedicated, 24-hour hotline where residents can voice their concerns. There is also an e-mail address and a number for small businesses. How long until these numbers get abused? more ›

Fresh from being evacuated for Hurricane Irene, the residents of Battery Park City have another headache to deal with this weekend. As if having millions of eyes turned towards it in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the city has released its parking plans for the area and, well, if you were planning on driving in lower Manhattan this weekend (wait, really?) you probably want to reconsider that idea. more ›

Remember when it was announced that the South Street Seaport Water Taxi Beach was going to ditch the sand and reemerge as a German beer garden? Might not want to hold your breath. DNAinfo reports that Telly Hatzigeorgiou, who would be operating the "Pier Garten," has withdrawn his liquor license application for the Pier 17 space, "saying Community Board 1 had placed so many restrictions on him that he would not be able to operate the venue profitably." more ›

Last night, the National September 11th Memorial and Museum's president updated Community Board 1 about what's happening with the eagerly anticipated space. According to NY1, it's "on track to open for the 10th anniversary of the attacks, but access to the plaza will be restricted... [the] memorial will open on schedule for the 10th anniversary of the attacks, but visitors won't be able to just walk up and stick around for a long time afterwards." more ›

The xenophobic reactionaries were out in force at last night's community board hearing on the controversial mosque proposed for Ground Zero. The arguments against the mosque boiled down to the simple equation of Islam=terrorism, which is about as reductive as saying Catholicism=child molestation, but there's no reasoning with these people—especially when some of them can legitimately play the 9/11 card. Retired FDNY Deputy Chief Al Santora, whose 23-year-old son Christopher was the youngest firefighter to die that day, told the board, "I do have a problem with having a mosque on top of the site where [terrorists] can gloat about what they did." more ›

New York City's community boards are known for being thorns in the side of city government, lobbying, often effectively, to influence the policy of councilmembers and city agencies. But it's rare to see a community board — by design the lowest wrung of municipal government — challenge the President of the United States. And it's even rarer to see them making headway. more ›

The city has made up its mind. Come December, the Brooklyn Banks will be boarded up and transformed into a construction area for the Brooklyn Bridge rehabilitation project, Scott Gastel, spokesperson for the city Dept. of Transportation told Downtown Express. more ›

The South Street Seaport redevelopment plan, released yesterday, is unsurprisingly being met with immediate backlash. Councilman Alan J. Gerson, who the NY Times reports has a significant voice in the approval, has stated with confidence that the plan is “certainly not going to pass in its present form.” more ›