In a friendly but frank exchange in the basement of Sona Thirteen, Morristown residents told owner Billy Walsh on Monday that they are not fans of his proposal to build a bowling alley/bar on DeHart Street.
They cited concerns about public safety, sanitation, noise and trash issues. A resident of Community Place informed Billy that his condo association is hiring an attorney to represent it on “land use issues.”
“We would really like to work something out, so we don’t have to litigate and spend crazy amounts of money. But we want to drive home the point that we have concerns. We just want the Walsh family to know that,” Community Place resident Matt Majorossy said during the hour-long sit-down, organized by Councilwoman Alison Deeb.
On Wednesday, June 13, the town council is scheduled to hear Billy Walsh’s request to transfer a liquor license to 10 DeHart St., where he wants to build a two-story, 12-lane bowling alley and restaurant with rooftop dining. Walsh family members also own the nightclubs Tashmoo and the Dark Horse Lounge on DeHart Street. Sona Thirteen is around the corner on South Street.
A handful of residents from the 40 Park luxury condos and homeowners from Macculloch and Colles avenues spoke of parking issues, noisy trash pickups in the middle of the night, and worse.
“It’s a horrific problem. We’ve had public urination, public sex, I’m picking up lots of garbage…We’re getting tired of it,” said Matt, noting he paid seven figures for his Community Place condo, plus $20,000 a year in taxes.
Christine Conti-Collins, who lives at 40 Park, described the informal meeting as productive and praised Billy Walsh for hosting it. She remains concerned about bar crowds and their aftermath, however.
“A lot of these kids drink way too much, go out on the streets, and get sick. It’s a mess,” said Christine Conti-Collins, who retired from the telecommunications industry and moved to 40 Park. “The town should require (bars) to power-wash the streets when they close. You’ll find feces, urine, vomit.”
Christine, a Brooklyn native, said she expected some street noise when she moved to downtown Morristown. But she did not anticipate so much activity on narrow lanes like DeHart and Market streets, which she considers “very dangerous.
“The town council has a responsibility to maintain the quality of life for people in this town,” she said, asserting that the town imposed no special conditions on the Iron Bar, which has a different owner. It held its grand opening last weekend on South Street.
“When you let establishments open like the Iron Bar, with 800 (patrons), without permitting, you have abrograted your responsibility to this town,” Christine said. “We just can’t afford to see that happen again.”
Iron Bar partners Jimmy Cavanaugh and Darrell Remlinger have pledged to be responsive to any issues that arise and Mayor Tim Dougherty has said that bar will be held to the same standards as others in town.
CANOPIES AND DUMPSTERS
During Monday’s discussion about the proposed bowling venture, Billy Walsh offered to cover the rooftop dining area with a canopy and limit evening hours of live music there, to address residents’ concerns about noise.
“All their worries are very legitimate,” Billy said afterward. He said he had wanted to meet with residents, and thought the gathering went fairly well.
“The only way to solve these things is for everyone to know what’s going to happen before it happens. I think we honestly answered their questions,” he said.
Billy was not swayed by requests to relocate his trash dumpsters; he said the location behind Tashmoo can handle trash from the Dark Horse, Tashmoo, Sona Thirteen and the bowling center.
Alison Deeb, the councilwoman, suggested an empty Morris Street lot adjacent to Grasshopper Off the Green might be suitable for the bowling alley.
“I’m just a facilitator,” Alison explained, adding: “I’m legally allowed to be here. I just can’t state a position” on the liquor license transfer.
Alice Cutler, a Colles Avenue resident who attended Monday’s meeting, said Morristown has enough bars. Booming nightclubs have not translated to much relief in her property taxes, she said.
“A lot of us like the bowling alley–just not in that location,” Alice said. “It means more drunk drivers on the road and more people making a mess, taking the quality of life in Morristown down a few notches.”
On Wednesday the council also is scheduled to deliberate on a request by Billy Walsh’s father, William Walsh, to transfer a liquor license to 4 Early St., to create a sports bar at Futbol-Landia for the Hispanic community.
The prospective manager of that operation, Pedro Velasquez, has issued a statement charging the council with uniting “to prevent the Latino community from having an upscale restaurant with a liquor license,” and demanding “fair and equal treatment.”
The Futbol-Landia application has hit some potential snags–a redeveloper contends a bar would violate the town’s Speedwell Avenue redevelopment agreement. And the landlord of the Early Street property owes nearly $35,000 in taxes and fees on the property, according to town records.
The commerical house was relocated from it’s original location next to the Community Theater. How sad if it was torn down to make way for the bowling alley!