Bars like Ludlow Manor, a three-level macaron of fancified boozing on the southwest corner of Ludlow and Delancey, continue to crop up in the Lower East Side. Call it gentrification or the "Lower Eastpacking District," we just call it "expensive." But the Lo-Down reports that CB 3 voted 3-2 last night to reject Ludlow Manor's request for liquor permits on the second and third floors, after allegations that the venue had been operating illegally without them. “You are using a catering permit to conduct regular business. These are not private parties,” CB 3's SLA committee chair Alex Militano said. more ›

Over the weekend we told how Culturefix, an arts space/boutique/bar on the Lower East Side, won a relative victory in court after it was targeted by the NYPD as part of the latter's recent bar blitz. And today the Lo-Down brings more to the story while pointing out an interesting wrinkle in the relationship between Community Boards and the State Liquor Authority. See, though Community Board 3's SLA committee recommended against renewing the bar's liquor license last week...it did so days after the license had already been renewed by the SLA, one of the bar's owners tells us. more ›

In a move that will drastically decrease the rate of success for the Bridge and Tunnel traps, Community Board 3 is considering expanding parking restrictions in the Lower East Side to cut back on noise and late-night traffic, the Post reports. The ordinance would "prohibit parking between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights," from Orchard Street to Essex Street, bounded by Broome Street up to East Houston. more ›

Next year the city has big plans to re-imagine Astor Place and Cooper Square. The plans are pretty far-ranging, with streets getting closed off and additional greenery planted, but there is one thing the new Cooper Square won't have if Community Board 3 has their way: Food vendors. Last night the board's Parks Committee voted on a resolution against any efforts by the city to install food vendors in the triangle between Third and Fourth Avenues. more ›

Forty years after it was cleared, the long-fallow Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA) is as close as its ever been to seeing some actual renewal. Last night a Community Board 3 task force assigned to figure out what do with the area voted unanimously on a plan for the parcel and, best of all, Sheldon Silver, who carries enormous weight in the area and has previously been against plans for it, came out in favor of the latest proposal. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Don't think for a second that just because disadvantaged douchebags have won the right to ride at the front of the stretch Hummer limo and drink bottle service at the same banquette as everybody else that they no longer face hateful discrimination each and every day. Even in 2011—when the D-word itself is widely considered taboo—D-bags everywhere must still overcome the soft bigotry of low (like, really low) expectations. And the venomous contempt for douchebags isn't just seen in ignorant backwaters like the Meatpacking District; the progressive East Village has its share of D-bigotry, too. One of the most shameless D-haters even holds a position on the local Community Board, where the D-word was brazenly D-ropped during a public meeting last night. more ›

After 40 years, is the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA) finally going to, well, be renewed? Maybe! After much back-and-forth it appears that Community Board 3 is nearly in agreement over what should happen to the largest patch of undeveloped city-owned land south of 96th Street. That is, unless the ever-present State Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver decides he doesn't like what ever they come up with. more ›

The Cooper Square Hotel news wasn't the only thing we learned at last night's Community Board 3 SLA committee meeting. In terms of food news the big story was the approval for a steakhouse from Motorino owner Mathieu Palombino at 241 Bowery. The team behind the concept, which interestingly includes an owner of the East Village Brazilian joint Esperanto, hopes to open the 72-seater within six months. But this being a complete buildout of a space currently used for restaurant supply, we'd guess more like a year. more ›

The concept of "Dark Dining," a meal in which the customer is blindfolded, is not very new. But Community Board 3 just gave the green light for a liquor license to "blind dining" franchise Dans Le Noir?, who will be adding an extra twist to their New York establishment: blind waiters. They say the service will create an "interesting sensory experience," and Lighthouse International, a nonprofit whose services include finding jobs for blind people, say they have plenty of people who would love the employment opportunity. Sounds great, but this sounds a little too much like we're going to wind up eating blue steak for us to get completely on board. more ›

Dozens of protesters stood inside and out of a Community Board 3 meeting yesterday, claiming that a proposed rezoning plan was racist and could result in the displacement of minority community members. At issue is a rezoning plan that places height restrictions on new buildings going up on the Lower East Side and the East Village. Community board officials claim that the restrictions are necessary for the area to retain its innate character. more ›