State liquor authority, possibly through your local community board.
Let me guess. You've moved to Washington Heights because prices are way less expensive than the rest of Manhattan or Brooklyn. The bar is I'm guessing a Dominican night club. Gentrification....'I want a cheap apartment with lots of pre war space and I want the rest of the neighborhood to confirm to my wants and demands.' Yes, noise is aggravating but I agree with a lot of comments here, you should have done your homework before purchasing the apartment.
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Noise from a bar? How can that be? Anyway file noise complaints regarding bars to 311 online at this link:
https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-01085
Good luck...........
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You could also monitor and record the noise levels. I see there are apps to put on your phone as well:
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), developed the NIOSH Sound Level Meter (SLM) app for iOS devices to help promote better hearing health and prevention efforts. You can download the free app on iTunes.
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You should check the property at https://www.localize.city — there you’ll find out about all sorts of nuisances including noise, mice, construction, etc
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[[After moving into a fourth-floor apartment in a Washington Heights co-op, we discovered that the innocuous-looking bar on the ground floor turns into a raging nightclub from midnight until 4 a.m.]]
Check a property day and night. Talk to the mail carrier, the neighbors and local cops. If you're buying a co-op or condo, get minutes of the association meetings that might reveal existing problems.
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@Third.Coast I live in one of the quietest areas of the city but I made a point to drive around here at night before I decided to buy my house. Friends turned down a house because it's backyard was up against the back of a noisy (long closed now) restaurant-bar on New Dorp Lane. Better safe than sorry.
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You've moved into a building with a bar on the ground floor. Why are you surprised that a bar generates noise at night? That's what bars do. Sorry to be unsympathetic, but your complaint reminds me of someone who moved close to an airport only to be shocked and outraged when noisy jets flew overhead. I think you need to sell your place and look for a quieter home.
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@Bill Snyder Sorry the bar is in violation of NYC codes so it doesn't matter who was there first or that this is what bars do. They don't all make noise that reach 4th floor apartments and it is ridiculous to equate the situation with living near an airport. The "you should move" argument is also both offensive and trite. There is a place for both residents and nightlife in the city if regulations are enforced and complied with. Unfortunately, too many nightlife venues think they can do whatever they want with no regard for the effects on the rest of the neighborhoods they are in.
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Innocuous looking bar in Washington heights.
Haha.
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Hmm... The bars I liked to hang out in, when I did such things, played music at a volume one could talk over if one tried.
And ordinarily I would say don't move in to a place above a bar, but in this case, since the co-op is the bar's landlord - they need to tell the bar owners that's it'll be a quiet little neighborhood joint or it won't be there at all.
What business does this co-op think its in, anyway?
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Perhaps moving in above a bar in Washington Heights wasn’t a great fit. And maybe the neighbors aren’t interested in assisting with the gentrification and sanitation of a neighborhood. Have you considered the suburbs?
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Oh, com’on, @Brooklyn Dog Geek. What sounds like a more than legitimate complaint about a bar-turned-club is hardly the by-product of gentrification. A buyer or renter should have a reasonable expectation that a coop would not want a club blasting music until 4:00 A.M. as a tenant. Rather than banish someone who would make a reasonable, responsible neighbor to the suburbs, the bar cum nightclub should find a location more appropriate. No neighborhood wants a business that detracts from its quality of life (little things like being able to sleep) whether gentrified, static or somewhere in between.
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@Brooklyn Dog Geek
Yes, because everyone that lives in the building loves it. Everyone knows if you are super non-gent you LOVE having music blaring at 4 AM. Why, it's practically genetic! Non-gent folk don't work. They are pretty much Zombies that LOVE blaring music at 4AM. They sleep ALL DAY! And this is the way it's always been. Everyone knows that.
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@Brooklyn Dog Geek, it's not clear that the writer is a gentrifier. Perhaps s/he was a longtime neigborhood resident, and it's the bar that's relatively new to the area. Snarky suggestions about moving to the suburbs serves only to perpetuate stereotyping and identity politics. I hope we can all agree there's too much of that going around these days.
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What a horrible situation. This is one of my greatest fears as a peace-and-quiet-loving renter. I can't stand to hear my neighbors overhead walking across the squeaky floors--I can't imagine having booming woofers blasting the building all night. I would truly lose it. I hope you can rectify this situation. Personally I would be looking to sublet the unit for the remainder of my lease, but I am a zero-noise-tolerance kind of person (and I'm not sure even after rereading your question if you rent or own). In my experience fighting noise issues, moving is the only effective answer.
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@ squeakalicious Chicago, IL Oct. 28
I am wholly sympathetic with you on zero tolerance of noise. But I cannot think of any solution other than owning your own abode on a lot large enough.
@squeakalicious It’s a coop, and they might OWN, not rent.
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@Linda Lou
Since it's a co-op, they're definitely renting. The question is whether they're renting or subletting. :)
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Utilize NYC’s office of nightlife. They provide a bridge for residents and business owners. They assess the situation objectively from both sides. It also creates a file/track record of your complaint. They will include the use of many of the commented suggestions above in their evaluation. I’m a bar owner and was relieved there was a department that specifically assisted with these issues.
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@Pete NYCs nightlife office main mandate is to support bar owners, not residents. One only has to look at the the 'economic impact' study on the front page of Nightlife Office web site for proof. This "study" speaks prominently of the positive economic impact nightlife (bars) has on the economy, but is egregious in it's omissions. In an 86 page report, only a single page is devoted to "challenges." The issues concerning health, safety and welfare (music blaring until 4am is an example), are covered only two paragraphs! Not once does the front page list any concerns of residents. The bias towards industry and against residents in this office and this study is plain for all to see.
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@ The suffering from the bar noise
If the regular complaints do not help, the time has perhaps come for more vigorous measures. I am sure the suffering people can think of many, but one non-violent countermeasures would be a a noise-making machine directed at the bar.
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At first glance, it seems outrageous that apartments are sold or rented where noise issues occur that a normal person could not reasonably be able to tolerate. At, second glance, it seems ridiculous too!!! What the heck?!? But it happens all the time in NYC. Such a sad state of affairs. It is often not detectible until you have moved into a place. This is a co-op, so the advice is right, you go through the co-op board who has the power to shut the commercial tenant down.
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I'm always astonished by people who move in next to a bar and are then surprised by the noise. Any time you're considering such a move, it behooves you to find out what it's like in the wee hours, not just when you came to the 1:00 p.m. Sunday open house.
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@JoanP - Another snarky response to a very common noise problem in NYC. It's not just bars that are noise offenders - 24-hour open all night diners make plenty of noise in their kitchens, restaurants that keep late hours and play loud music with diners going out into the street to smoke, congregate and talk loudly, sidewalk cafes that won't abide by city rules. Restaurants that hire live bands to play music from 10 p.m. until 1 or 2 a.m. The list goes on and on as New York City is a 24-hour town where many tenants can't even get a decent night's sleep.
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I mean, the bar's being a bar.
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@Faith The workers in the bar are risking permanent hearing loss. No music in a public space should be that loud.
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@Faith no the bar is being a nightclub. They are two different things within the context of a residential neighborhood.
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The deck is severely stacked against residents, and only getting higher.
I would ignore the advice cobbled together by Ms Kaysen, some of her sources, like Alan Fierstein, work on behalf of those seeking liquor licenses.
You have no good choices here, battling this is a full time job.
Your first task is to get a copy of the stipulations this joint agreed to, the method of operation". Get on the horn with your community board or send a request to them. It will help if you go to the SLA website and look up the license, get the date it was obtained. That will help your CB know when the resolution was entered.
Attend you local police precinct meetings, they happen once a month, get to know your CPOP.
311 complaints are good, you need at least 5 at a time to work the algorithm.
There's an article in the paper, published about a year ago, about a guy who used small claims court lawsuits for quality of life issues. I would read that.
The reality is, everybody and brother is applying for liquor licenses, and the quantity and speed are breathtaking. The death of retail, greedy and craven landlords, and an SLA who is devoid of understanding the word "balance", have created the perfect storm.
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Bet the seller knew all about the noise. Without other owners joining in with you, I expect a move is in your future.
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1) Before committing to a new apartment, check out the neighborhood at different times of the day and night.
2) An innocuous looking bar is still a bar. Don't voluntarily live above one.
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@PM Too late.
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@ PM NYC Oct. 27
"Don't voluntarily live above one". -- And if one moves in after you, act boldly to neutralise its noise.
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@Tuvw Xyz I had friends who lived on 2nd Avenue just above Houston long before a bar opened below. The noise was unbelievable. Even building a sound-proofed pod in their apartment did not good.
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You might also reach out to the local Community Board (212-568-8500), which is responsible for making a recommendation to the SLA every year when the bar is up for its liquor license renewal. Oftentimes the bar can and will add, soundproofing. signage, better management/bouncers, and other fixes which can really help mitigate some of the sound issues.
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@Liz Ritter
yes work with your community board--the Washington Heights Board has plenty of experience with this. This is against the law and you can ask the police to arrange DEP noise test--no need to hire anyone.
This is not about gentrification--people have a right to sleep.
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I'm sure there are plenty of quiet tenants that might very well pay more rent, which could replace the bar.
I am astounded the Coop Board let this happen in the first place. Something is fishy.
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@akamai Kickbacks to each member of the board?
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@PrairieFlax Or just the president. I know about this.
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Old, but useful, dictum - follow the money. Just who owns that bar and what connection (if any) do they have w/ the members of the board? I’m just saying.
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Caveat emptor. Buying a co-op is lengthy process in NYC. Why on earth didn't you bother to google the name of the bar?! Few minutes of legwork could have prevented this. No doubt the bar's website or yelp reviews would have revealed its identity. Even as a renter, good practice is always to visit a property at different times of day.
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@local It's a lengthy process. Maybe the bar changed between initial look and move-in.
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No bar or club in Australia displays its hours of trade in the front door. A supermarket, yes; bars and clubs, no.
1
@local I can't tell from the question if the tenants own or rent. Does living in a co-op automatically mean you're an owner? (Honestly wondering because I don't live in NY and I know nothing about co-ops.) So I think berating the tenants for a stupid purchase is probably thoughtless considering they might be just renters...?
2
Is the writer an owner? It may be that other owners tolerate the noise in exchange for more commercial rent and lower monthly maintenance. It’s worth asking around. If you rent it’s a decent way to get out of your lease. Track and record the noise. Measure it.
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I saw a beautiful second-floor apartment on Court Street in Brooklyn, more years ago than I can recall. There was a bar on first floor.
Quiet is hard to come by in New York City, but it's good to stay clear of bars, eateries, and venues in general. Too much potential for chaos. I didn't take that apartment. Someone must have, of course.
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