As liquor license hearing approaches, Forest City discloses that Barclays Center clubs will serve alcohol until 2 am (if events go to 1 am)

Guess what? Apparently the Barclays Center plans to serve alcohol until 2 am in the arena's four clubs, at least if events--presumably concerts--go to 1 am. The policy, which affects clubs with a capacity estimated at over 1,000, had not been previously unnanounced.

Atlantic Yards Watch's Gib Veconi reports:

A letter from Barclays Center attorney William Schrieber to Brooklyn Community Board 6 dated June 5 mentions a detail of the arena's plans for liquor sales that apparently has not been disclosed up to now: Barclays Center's four clubs will serve alcohol up to one hour after arena events end—as late as 2:00 AM.
...
At an April 10 public meeting held at the 78th Precinct station house, representatives from Barclays Center maintained that liquor sales would end at the beginning of the fourth quarter of NBA games. No exception for the arena clubs was stated. Officials from Forest City Ratner Companies, when asked about liquor sales during public meetings, have likewise maintained that sales would end at the beginning of the fourth quarter. FCRC tends to frame discussions of arena operations in terms of NBA games, even though such games make up less than 20% of the 220 events expected to take place at Barclays Center each year.

Liquor license hearing, and questions

Veconi notes that community support is needed for the State Liquor Authority to grant the expected exception to the "500-foot rule," in a hearing scheduled for 11 am June 12 at 317 Lenox Avenue In Manhattan.

Though Brooklyn Community Boards 2 and 6 offered approval, with conditions, Veconi suggests:

FCRC's late disclosure of extended hours of operation at the Barclays Center clubs may undercut its ability to use the Community Board resolutions as evidence of community support for its license. Community Boards 2 and 6 are not scheduled to meet again until after Barclays Center's 500-foot hearing. Presumably, it would be necessary for the Boards to take public testimony on new information regarding the arena clubs prior to voting on a revised resolution of support.

Well, CB 6, for example, agreed to a 2 am cut-off for the arena, which may seem to harmonize with the 2 am end at the arena's clubs. At the time, however, the assumption--at least as I and others understood it--was that would represent the rare occasion of an event going late, not a regular occurrence with arena clubs.

Other provisions

The letter from the arena attorney also cites other provisions in CB 6's request: a transportation plan; a security plan (without mention of which precinct will be in charge); and an emerging sanitation plan and  sub-committee on quality of life issues.