UPDATE: Will there be a Groucho Club for NoHo?
June 1, 2018: The Groucho Club application will not be moving forward. 363 Lafayette has leased floor 5 – 10 to Office tenants.
There was a 5 to deny and 4 to deny unless stipulations are attached vote on the Groucho Club application by the SLA Committee at CB#2 on March 15th. Still no definitive answer for whether there will be a Groucho Club for NoHo. This application moves on to a full discussion at the CB#2 Full Board Meeting on Thursday, March 22nd at 6:30pm, P.S. 41, Auditorium, 116 W. 11th St.
Following Thursday’s meeting there will be two hearings at the NYS Liquor Authority which will take a final decision up to June 1st.
OVERVIEW
The Groucho Club is a 32 year old private membership club targeting artists, writers, producers, screen writers based in London; their average member is 45 years old. It is anticipated that the NoHo location will have a similar profile. In this aspect their membership is similar to NoHo.
They are proposing to occupy six floors at 363 Lafayette – floors 5 thru 10, with member restaurants, lounge, business center and 12 hotel rooms, 11 of which are very small and not connected; the 12th is a rooftop penthouse suite. The total area to be On Premise licensed is 14,090 sf plus the hotel-licensed spaces on floors 8,9,10. (Hotel licenses allow 24 hr. alcohol service). The total capacity of the facility will be 400, including hotel guests and personnel. Groucho anticipates membership of 1,500 in the first year; 2,300 in year two. NYC membership will be in the area of $2,500/yr.; members outside the City or from London will be charged more.
We have had three major discussions between NoHo resident buildings, SK Development and Groucho Club CEO, Matt Hobbs regarding this project focused on minimizing potential negative impacts on the neighborhood. We have collected additional comments from 36 NoHo households, 20 of which are NoHo-Bowery Stakeholder members.
The NoHo-Bowery Stakeholders Board of Directors feel that the entrance and exit placement of The Groucho Club on Great Jones St. creates a unique burden on our neighborhood. Having consulted extensively with both the developers of 363 Lafayette and with Groucho management, it seems moving the entrance to Lafayette St. is not, at this time, feasible; though this, as an outcome, would gain the support of a majority of our membership.
Of additional concern is the use of the 7th floor terrace. Those living closest are the most vehemently opposed, not all of whom are our members.
We have not yet been able to come to a fair consensus among our members and therefore cannot fully approve this application.
Attached is the full statement by NoHo-Bowery Stakeholders, Inc. regarding this application with the stipulations agreed to by The Groucho Club. These stipulations update the original application and will be followed should The Groucho Club prevail through the next hearings.
NoHo-Bowery Stakeholder Members are urged to vote in preparation for the Full Board Meeting on March 22nd, at which time the tally will be represented. Non-Member votes will be tallied separately.