Where have we heard this before? New owners of a hotel want to open a bar for guests only, and then, before long, it grows into a neighborhood annoyance. Montauk is filled with this sort of operation, drawing people from far and wide to enjoy the summer nightlife. It’s a lot of fun, plenty of people make good money, but for others, the noise, litter, fights, and all around boorishness cast a pall over their hopes for a calm and relaxing getaway.
This is the context in which a request from Marram, a recently buffed-up oceanfront hotel, for a license to serve liquor must be viewed. Marram, at the former Atlantic Terrace, has told the State Liquor Authority it is planning a restaurant and bar and would host live music as well as dancing, D.J.s., and, vaguely, special events. Uh-oh.
East Hampton Town officials at this point are having none of it and have expressed several grounds for objection to the state. They need to hold the line and make sure this potential disaster does not happen. We may have heard this before, but we don’t have to hear it again.