Poetry Cafe — With Booze — Rejected

The Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously rejected a bid to open an alcohol-selling ​“poetry cafe” at the site of the troubled former Grand Cafe — on the grounds that a new bar at that Fair Haven spot could present a threat to public safety.

City zoners rejected that application Tuesday night, during the latest monthly meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) on the second floor of City Hall.

Applicant Breanna Stevenson had applied for a special exception to allow a liquor permit to establish a bar with live entertainment at 118 Grand Ave., which is owned by Three Brothers LLC, a holding company controlled by Wah Lam of College Point, New York.

Appearing before the board, Stevenson testified for that zoning relief in the hopes of opening what she described in her written submission as a ​“poetry cafe, selling alcohol beverages, wine, beer, spirits,” operating between 5:30 p.m. and 2 a.m., every Tuesday through Sunday. 

Commissioners voted unanimously to deny the application, citing their concerns that permitting the sale of liquor at the site under those or any conditions would destabilize an area that has long posed public safety issues.

“I felt that we are creating a space for young men,” said Stevenson of the motivation behind the idea for the ​“poetry cafe,” which she said would consist of an open mic for people to present songs, sermons, and everything in between. ​“My main objective is turning around and creating a safe place for men to be. You should be able to come and enjoy the space and hear the word.”

The zoning board members expressed intense skepticism that a liquor permit would be necessary to achieve those goals, given that the application follows in the long saga of that Grand Avenue residential and business strip, which for years officials have called an open air drug market and a hotbed of street violence. 

In February 2022, the state liquor board denied the liquor license renewal submitted by the previous bar to occupy that spot, the Grand Cafe, citing a string of 12 police reports stemming from the location, including a shooting on the premises and illicit drugs discovered in the basement. Neighbors had organized protests seeking denial of the license renewal because of illegal activity taking place at and outside the 118 Grand Ave. bar.

The Grand Cafe bar closed soon after that decision came down and the area started to see improvements, according to Fair Haven Alder Sarah Miller, who testified against the approval of the new application on Tuesday and who represents the ward that includes 118 Grand.

But the strip, which she said is populated with absentee landlords and is now home to a smoke shop, still has not seen ​“complete resolution of all the issues” despite continued efforts, which include coordination with police, the Livable City Initiative (LCI), and the state court. Miller said that in at least one instance, following an arrest at the site, the court issued a conditional release barring the individual from returning to the location.

The question of whether to approve the requested variance to allow for alcohol to be sold on the premises beyond being ill-advised, Miller added, was also moot. The state liquor board’s 2022 decision not only prohibited the Grand Cafe from selling alcohol — it denied any business to open at the site in the future from doing so. Miller offered toward the end of her testimony to meet with the applicant to discuss her business ideas, but said in an interview with the Independent after the final vote that she had not been approached by Stevenson before the hearing and had heard about the proposal for the liquor-selling cafe from concerned constituents the week before.

“I really think you should consider tea and coffee and other ways to open up your cafe,” said Commissioner Errol Saunders, before voting to reject the application.