This Lee Lorenz cartoon so perfectly expressed the sentiments of RRRWV (Residents for Responsible Restaurants in the West Village) regarding the Starr Restaurant Group’s plan to take over the premises formerly occupied by The Paris Commune at 99 Bank Street, that a member of the group attached it to one of their flyers outside her house on Bethune Street.
After CB2’s March meeting, when the Starr Group presented their proposal to increase the restaurant’s size from 80 to 137 seats, taking over the whole Greenwich Street frontage from Bank to Bethune and keeping later closing hours, the SLA Committee had recommended their request for a Liquor License be denied. It was then expected a revised plan, hopefully more palatable to the neighborhood, would be presented at the Community Board’s meeting on April 12th, which the pink notice attached to the cartoon had been urging friends and neighbors to attend.
However, at the last minute the Starr Group cancelled their April hearing and reserved the right to appear at the May meeting instead.
And that was where things stood as WV was going to press until, on Friday, April 27th, word came from RRRWV that they had just heard from Starr’s attorney that Stephen Starr was withdrawing his application for 99 Bank.
Congratulations to the perspicacious person who, weeks earlier, wrote on the RRRWV pink notice, “CANCELLED HIS LEASE!” Photo by Maggie Berkvist
