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A community board hearing around a potential new mega-nightclub has revealed a schism over the direction of the far-west side of Hellâs Kitchen.Â
The battle came to light at Manhattan Community Board 4âs Business Licenses and Permits Committee (MCB4) meeting Tuesday as it heard a proposal to convert the former Lexus car dealership at 11th Avenue (between W46/47th Street) into Magnitude, a 2,000-person capacity LGBTQIA+ club with a 2,500-person capacity rooftop which would open as late as 4am.
If approved, Magnitude would become the first gay club on 11th Avenue, close to Harbor NYC, at 621 W46th Street between 11/12th Avenue and The Press Lounge, at 653 11th Avenue between W47/48th Street. Â
But the plan ran into opposition from MCB4 members, who suggested that with two nearby apartment buildings already built (Gotham West and The West), the future of the stretch of 11th Avenue and nearby streets is residential, and said they did not want to discourage future affordable housing development near the site.
The battle offers insight into the changing face of 11th Avenue, with car showrooms in decline and the mayor and city authorities this week encouraging new rules allowing offices to more easily become apartment buildings. The original Automobile Row on Broadway and the West 50s was declared dead by the New York Times in 1984 (but has lived on much longer). US auto sales showed an 8 percent fall in 2022, the Wall Street Journal reported this week.
Magnitude is the brainchild of Sherif Mabrouk, manager of The Eagle nightclub in Chelsea, Sergio Polajenko, a nightclub proprietor with several venues in New Jersey, and Akram Qaid, owner of City Fish in Harlem. In a written submission to MCB4, they outlined a plan for an âinclusive, safe, and friendly night venue that showcases cutting-edge, high-energy music trends and talented DJs.â
âMagnitude will be a unique nightclub with fun activities besides drinking and dancing, such as a tarot card reading room,â they said. The plan would take over the entire former Lexus showroom, which was vacated during the pandemic. The nightclub developers argue it âis unlikely to be used by any business other than a car dealership.â
The developers also argued âthe building is too large to be rented as office space, not only because more companies are choosing remote work, but because of the high rent,â adding: âThe space is likely to remain vacant on a block with a car wash and strip club in an area of NYC that is somewhat desolate and away from residential buildings. In fact, there are no residential buildings on the same block.â
But MCB4 committee members and meeting attendees argued that the far-west sideâs growing profile of luxury residences like Gotham West on W45th Street and 11th Avenue and the newly-fashioned condos at The West â diagonally across the street from the proposed club site at W47th Street and 11th Avenue â showed the future direction of far-west Hellâs Kitchen is apartments, not clubs. The recent closure of Manhattan Lumber and Hardware on both sides of the next block (between W45/46th Street) bring the possibility of more residential development locally.
Committee member Jesse Greenwald said: âSome points were also made by the block associations in letters to us, specifically pointing out how your plan for this rooftop could impede our community boardâs affordable housing plan, seeing as a number of buildings in the area are targeted for potential housing development. I certainly would not want the existence of a loud, rowdy club on a rooftop to stop developers from going in and developing those buildings. I think that that would be a real tragedy.âÂ
Resident and co-chair of the W47th Street Block Association, Elke Fears said: âWhen you have a brand new building on the northeast corner of 47th Street and the Gotham West is a block and a half away â who would want to buy or rent across the street from a club that has an open roof?â
Committee member Christine Berthet said: âWeâve spent hours on this committee over the years resolving issues of people listening to music from rooftops around 11th Avenue â hours and hours, days. You are talking to a group of people which have really suffered from that kind of club. We have been able to mitigate those issues and close those places and itâs not something that we look forward to reopening.â
Co-chair of the Hellâs Kitchen W49th/50th Street Block association Stephen Belida said that in regards to the rooftop noise and concerns over safety, the group doesnât âhave answers to a lot of these issues that are going to really impact the neighborhood in a very negative way. They really came unprepared for this meeting.â added Belida. âTheyâre answering questions now that were already brought up to them â such as how are you going to deal with 2,500 people [on the roof]?âÂ
Other community members said it was time to retire the areaâs club legacy. âI did go clubbing when I was younger in New York, but it was a completely different neighborhood then,â resident Ute Keyes told the hearing. âI remember going for a jog at 7am down to the river and in front of that club there were drug addicts hanging out, sleeping on the street, there was vomit everywhere, there were flyers, dirt, it was a mess. Thinking that there will be about 4,000 people in the neighborhood, which has changed so much since back in the early 2000s â I find it very problematic.âÂ
Mabrouk and his co-applicants argued that for the cityâs LGBTQ community, 11th Avenue would be an easily accessible social gathering spot, and they would be hiring local employees to retain neighborhood engagement. âThis is going to be a gay population club,â said Mabrouk.âI feel that the population of gay people in New York City is in the West Side, starting from Chelsea going to Hellâs Kitchen, thatâs their residential spot.âÂ
They are in the process of exploring soundproofing options as well as expanded security measures beyond training employees and installing cameras throughout the property. Clubs across the city â in Hellâs Kitchen where the murders of Julio Ramirez and John Umberger still remain unsolved and in Chelsea, have been the site of unsettling crimes against the LGBTQ community. Earlier this week a video emerged of unidentified men allegedly peddling narcotics outside Mabroukâs venue The Eagle in Chelsea surfaced, fueling concerns about safety for LGBTQIA+ people.
Asked about alternative locations for the planned club, Mabrouk told CB4 members that other options like taking over the now-closed PACHA club space, at 618 W46th Street between 11th and 12th Avenue, werenât possible due to the properties being tied up in West Side landlord Robert Gansâs portfolio bankruptcy. Despite suggestions that the Magnitude site becomes a much-requested West Side supermarket, it was his opinion as a real estate professional that âthe area is not residential enough for a supermarket to cover that rent.â
Another of the developers, Polajenko, said, âWeâre willing to do whatever it takes to make this project succeed. Itâs a wonderful property. Thereâs not a lot of other people that are going to be able to utilize this property other than what we have in mind.âÂ
The jury is still out as to whether 11th Avenue will continue to move towards hard-partying clubs or posh high-rises. The members of the BLP committee voted to deny Magnitudeâs application at this stage, advising them to come up with a significantly more detailed security and noise reduction plan before pleading their case before the full community board at their next meeting on Wednesday February 1. W42ST reached out to the applicants and we will update this if we hear back.
Member Jesse Greenwald told the developers: âIâm not trying to say that youâre coming in here with bad faith. I do believe that youâve done this before, that you know how to limit sound. I just canât move forward until Iâve seen precisely how youâre going to do it, and it would be wildly irresponsible for us to vote without that.âÂ
Residents along 11th avenue already having to deal with the insane Lincoln Tunnel traffic, will now have to deal with the chaos (letâs be honest here, it will be chaotic) of party go-ers until 4am. Yikes! Godspeed 11th avenue residents!!
Local history has shown that these âclubsâ that have been on the westside in our neighborhood, for decades are basically laundromats for dirty money and then they become distribution venues for drugs from the various cartels that used to run the after-hours clubs on the westside throughout the 70âs 80âs and 90âs. Bribes and payouts. Most of the properties in that area are still controlled by the same families that have owned and controlled them for years and years!
This is a very bad idea and would ultimately prove to be a foothold for corruption. Payouts, extortion and bribes.
Clubs are a problem for the surrounding neighborhood period. An outside space only multiplies the negative aspects of such use. Noise, unsafe crowding, traffic, open drug use and crime make these places so impossible to coexist with their neighbors. Clubs like this belong in an industrial park several miles from any residential developments. Vote no CB4. Forever.
I think itâs time for you to consider suburbs. This is Manhattan, and it will never be a quiet area!
Big No. we need some livable conditions in NYC which includes safety, sleep and a feeling of neighborhood not a Vegas strip.
I say, build it! Bring some creative nightlife back to Manhattan. This personality of this city was built on New Yorkers getting together and dancing until the wee hours of the morning. This inspires art, creativity, and moves the city forward in ways other than immediate financial gain. You know why people come to NYC? Not just to work hard and put their stamp on the world â they move here to have fun and connect with other people.
Amen
Agree.
Judge â where do you live?
100% agree. The club would be a welcome addition to Hellâs Kitchen!
They should build an entertainment complex that has Trader Joeâs, restaurants, bars, beer garden, and event space to draw both locals and tourists to the west side. Then the real estate companies will be so eager to buy the lots around it and agree to allocate affordable units in their luxury residentials.
MAKE IT A TRADER JOES INSTEAD đ©đ©
Absolutely â a Trader Joeâs, a decent wine bar â so many options. I live at Gotham West and have had various periods of hell over 9 years, especially when there is an open roof. Noise till 4am is a nightmare when youâre trying to sleep, and it really carries. I will 100% move out of GW if this goes ahead â or do what resdents on the area have done with every other place and get it closed down if it opens.
Absolutely NOT! We do not need a Trader Joes, a wine bar or whatever! Let them build the club!!!
Thereâs no other way to use that space? Really? How about ALL affordable housing? How about a community center? How about a park?
Good grief â it sounds like history repeating itself. Queer people revitalize neighborhoods and make them trendy and desirable, gentrification takes over, and the queer folks get pushed out.
There was a similar fight against the gay bar Spot on 10th Ave with ridiculous claims of incompatibility with nearby schools (how students would still be around at night was never explained) and claims that noise would be untenable. Iâm happy that Spot made it through, energizing the block and integrating nicely with the neighborhood.
I might believe that residential living was actually being prioritized if I saw advocates fighting for real grocery stores and neighborhood amenities, but I donât. I just see a lot of ânoâ to gay venues.
GreggâŠthe pushback is against the noise and disruption to people who pay rent so that they can sleep at night. If someone wants to revitalize a neighborhood with cool shops, art galleries, theater, personal services, etcâŠmore power to themâsexual identity has nothing to do with this.
Right â these are the same arguments always leveled against queer social spaces. And queer people in general â âI donât mind gay people but canât they just be quiet about it?â The Eagle itself had to deal with similar complaints as the High Line built up around it. The far west side has had large nightlife venues for a very long time. The residences are the new gentrifiers.
Noise issues can be dealt with and mitigated. Some people picture late night streets filled with gay people and are threatened. Others, like me, think yes, itâs New York City! These vibrant queer spaces make the city what it is. I hope this gets approved and revitalizes those sad, desolate streets. Perhaps those all-night diners that we lost will return.
I truly donât understand folks who live in midtown Manhattan and expect the quiet of the suburbs.
Spot is a quiet bar from the outside. A club with a rooftop bar is another story. This area is no longer desolate. A whether itâs a gay, straight, or mixed, does not matter as it is still out of place.
Nooo to club, Tunnel gridlock noise during day is bad enough â Yesss to a Trader Joes!
Just what the city needs, more big chain stores and less fun things!
Again. Developers who donât understand or have bothered to learn about this area of Hellâs Kitchen or Hells Kitchen itself. Why not approach Trader Joeâs. We could still benefit from having them. Seeing as Target, though nice to have, has been a bit of a misfire, in my opinion. And the neighborhood is only going to continue to expand even at this moment when the percentages of residents is down. I applaude the idea of a multi purpose gathering spot for LGTBQ and neighborhood residents. 11th Ave canât currently meet the needs of a sudden influx of up to 4500 people in one evening. Just pedestrian traffic only would be too intense.
The streets can easily handle the foot traffic from a nightclub. Thousands of people board and disembark from cruise ships in the neighborhood all the time. For decades the neighborhood has had large venues with thousands of patrons. This would also encourage more business like restaurants and convenience stores in the area, and help make up for the advertising companies which left the neighborhood. This is NYC â weâre made for crowds!
Local history has shown that these âclubsâ that have been on the westside in our neighborhood, for decades are basically laundromats for dirty money and then they become distribution venues for drugs from the various cartels that used to run the after-hours clubs on the westside throughout the 70âs 80âs and 90âs. Bribes and payouts. Most of the properties in that area are still controlled by the same families that have owned and controlled them for years and years!
This is a very bad idea and would ultimately prove to be a foothold for corruption. Payouts, extortion and bribes.
There is already a rooftop bar between 48st and 49st its pretty cool but at 3 am getting loud here everyone can just get along more police presence could help but thatâs not going to happen this is not Park Ave
This neighborhood is already overrun with tourists. How about building something the community needs. Definitely NO to any outdoor rooftop music until 4am. How about a quiet wine bar that everyone can enjoy and a decent grocery storeâŠ.a community center and lounge. I would feel the same no matter who the intended audience was. I have lived in the area since the 70âs, it is time to support our neighborhood as a residential enclave.
Why not use the ex car dealership building (s) to house homeless families and the homeless senior people, thatâs becoming more prevalent at present.
This is a great idea and the time is now. NYC dance clubs were all shut down over the last 10-15 years. How can NYC keep its reputation as a world-class city without a decent dance club? LETâS MAKE IT HAPPEN?
1000% AGREE!