---

The Asbury Park City Council voted to allow The Asbury, the city’s newest hotel and entertainment venue, to extend its liquor license to the adjacent Asbury Lanes venue, set to reopen Memorial Day weekend.

Master waterfront redeveloper iStar is the majority owner of both venues, which are partially owned and operated by hotelier David Bowd.

The Asbury, located at 210 Fifth Avenue, holds a hotel liquor license issued to venues consisting of 100 or more sleeping rooms. They will now expand that license, commonly known as a place-to-place transfer, in order to include the neighboring entertainment venue, located at 209 Fourth Avenue.

The practice is approved by the State’s Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control and one that has been utilized at a number of business owners whose venues share connected passageways, such as pavilion business owners on the boardwalk like Langosta Lounge for APYC and Pop’s Garage, andthe downtown Complex, which includes Bond Street Bar, Capitoline and La Loteria eateries.  

In this case, an enclosed passageway has been constructed to allow for The Asbury’s connection to the Asbury Lanes.

City Manager Michael Capabianco said the license extension comes with a close to $1 million renegotiated waterfront redevelopment payment to the city over a period of 30 years.

Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn was the sole no vote, explaining that while the ABC supports the practice, it creates an overabundance of liquor licenses in the small community, that should really hold only seven active licenses according to ABC guidelines. 

“The number isn’t exact but per ABC every 4,000 people constitutes the issuance of a liquor license,” Quinn said after the meeting. “Asbury Park has something like 42 and a number of them are pocket licenses [meaning updated licenses not currently applied to a venue].”

City Clerk Cindy Dye said there are four pocket licenses on the books; one applicable for a liquor store and three for bar/restaurant venues. 

“I’m going to really to be really clear, I think the Asbury Hotel and the Salt School are amazing assets to this city and I happily voted on The Asbury hotel liquor license,” Quinn said prior to her vote. “What I find, and what I have a problem with is the continued expansion of these liquor licenses.

“iStar had an opportunity to buy a liquor license for Asbury Lanes because there is 42 in the city, and the city should probably have approximately seven,” she said. “They did not buy a liquor license for Asbury Lanes. I am also deeply troubled that Trenton continues to approve these expansion of liquor licenses. The last thing Asbury Park needs is more booze, and I say that as a person who is a drinker. This has absolutely nothing to do with the hotel. This has absolutely nothing to do with the Salt School. I think you are amazing assets to this city and iStar should have bought you a liquor license. So I vote no.”

——————————————————————————————————-

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

---