Restraining Order Issued for Harbor Raw Bar
After reports of overcrowding and other problems at Harbor Raw Bar and Lounge near the Montauk docks, East Hampton Town got a judge last week to agree to put the clamps on the party.
In her decision, Acting Supreme Court Justice Denise F. Molia granted a temporary restraining order blocking the use of the restaurant as a nightclub. The owners could face criminal contempt charges if they allow the number of patrons to exceed the official occupancy limit of 68 guests, she wrote.
According to a statement issued by East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell, Harbor had been cited on multiple occasions, with as many as 300 people on premises.
The restraining order is in place until next Thursday, when both sides are expected in court for a conference with Justice Molina.
Harbor was represented in the proceeding by Harvey Arnoff, a Riverhead lawyer.
Spiritoso L.L.C. paid $2.85 million when it bought the property, at 440 West Lake Drive in Montauk, on Jan. 30. The key management players are James Willis and Robert Hirsh, according to Whalebone Magazine. They brought in Ja Rule for a well-attended Memorial Day weekend rap performance.
In his statement, Mr. Cantwell said, “This is part of the Town of East Hampton’s effort to address those businesses that have turned their establishment into nightclubs without the requisite approvals and invited overcrowding without regard to the occupancy limits set forth in state law.”
He said that Harbor did not have a sprinkler system and that it had been issued citations on multiple occasions since May for overcrowding.
A second Montauk bar and restaurant, Ciao, will be the subject of a town board discussion, after the establishment received three summonses for violating the noise ordinance.
According to town law, the board may limit, suspend, or revoke the town permit that is required to play music, indoors or out, if an establishment receives three summonses for a noise violation in a year.
With a vote on Tuesday, the board scheduled an Aug. 18 hearing on Ciao’s permit, to be held during its regular work session at 10 a.m. at Town Hall. Members of the public who wish to comment can do so in person at the meeting, or submit written comments.
The Sloppy Tuna bar, also in Montauk, has been issued nine summonses for noise this summer, town officials said Tuesday. However, because of its zoning classification as both a restaurant and a nightclub, it is not required to hold a music entertainment permit. The town code states that the permits are only required of a “restaurant or bar/tavern.”
Several summers ago, the town asked a State Supreme Court judge to issue a restraining order to stop the club from playing music without a town permit, and to require compliance with a maximum occupancy limit of 99 delineated on the club’s certificate of occupancy. The request was denied.
With Reporting by Joanne Pilgrim