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An amendment to city ordinances to allow eating and drinking on the second story of a building on Lake Avenue was introduced by the city council at last Wednesday’s meeting.

Restaurateur Andy Ivanov, owner of Pilsener Haus in Hoboken [pictured above], plans to build a restaurant at 527 Lake Ave., on the corner of Lake Avenue and Press Plaza, with a rooftop beer garden on the second floor.

The beer garden requires an amendment to the central business district [CBD] redevelopment plan, which prohibits eating and drinking on the second story of any establishment within the CBD, according to Donald Sammet, the city’s redevelopment and planning director.

Sammett gave a presentation on the amendment during the July 10 council meeting. Council members voted unanimously to introduce it.

The council voted in May to send the matter to the planning board for review, as previously reported in the Sun. 

The planning board reviewed the proposed amendment but did not adopt a report it within the 45 day review period. The lapse allowed the proposal to be introduced by the council without the planning board’s review, Sammet said.

The council may vote on the amendment after a public hearing at the Aug. 7 meeting.

At the May 10 council meeting, Sammet said that Moonstruck restaurant, located on the same block in the redevelopment zone, offers drinking and dining on the second floor. Moonstruck began that use before the CDB plan was enacted and is grandfathered-in, he said.

[Above photo courtesy of the Pilsener Haus website.]

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