Hurly-‘Birley’ on UES
Nabe slams British big’s club plans
A posh, members-only club that a London nightlife impresario has planned for Manhattan’s Upper East Side has sparked a ruckus among the neighborhood’s well-to-do residents.
The fear of drunken millionaires spilling out of the prewar condo tower at 828 Madison Ave., with their chauffeured limos idling and clogging the otherwise tranquil streets, animated a virtual community board meeting last week, according to local reports.
The meeting to approve the asyet-to-be-named club’s liquor-license application “was supposed to be a slam dunk,” one observer told Side Dish.
Instead, it quickly descended into a heated debate among residents, with those supporting the club being mocked and labeled “sycophants” of Robin Birley — the British nightlife honcho — by the neighborhood blog Upper East Site.
Birley — whose exclusive London hot spots are celebrity magnets where Prince Harry took Meghan Markle on their first date — has signed a 20-year lease for the space, with an option to extend to 30 years, as Side Dish previously reported exclusively.
“The main issue is that the residents of the Upper East Side won’t get to participate in the positives that the club will bring, only the negatives,” a neighbor who lives at 10 E. 70th St., adjacent to the proposed club, told Side Dish.
Well-heeled foot traffic
The resident, who asked not to be identified, granted that the club will bring well-heeled foot traffic to Madison Avenue’s jewelry shops and high-end retailers, which “are dying” during the day. Still, she said, the nighttime traffic is a concern.
“There has been a lot of targeting of wealthy people on the streets of New York, like people being robbed of their watches while they are eating at restaurants,” she said.
“I’m concerned that once this place becomes known as a spot for wealthy people, they will be targeted when they come out of the club.”
“Of course, many of them will have drivers waiting for them,” she added. “But then there will be a backup of limos stacked up outside the club.”
Others not only fear the latenight commotion but also the upheaval it would cause during the day to their serene oasis.
Leslie Samuels, president of the East 70th Street block association, said daily deliveries and garbage pickup “will certainly result . . . in serious traffic congestion and noise,” according to the blog.
“[It is an] understatement to say that this club will negatively affect residents’ quiet enjoyment of their homes,” said Milton Strom, president of the 10 East 70th Street Co-op, the blog reported.
Pricey and exclusive
The club is slated to open at 7 a.m. for breakfast and close at 1 a.m. at the two-story, 12,000square-foot space occupying the first floor and mezzanine level of a luxury condo tower between East 69th and 70th streets, formerly known as the Westbury Hotel.
The membership fee is expected to be in the thousands of dollars and open only to those who have recommendations from two members of Birley’s current clubs.
Sources close to Birley say the neighborhood opposition was unexpected and that he is doing everything he can to address concerns — adding that the club will bring around 150 jobs to the neighborhood and “activity” to the street.
“We understand that anything new to a community always comes with concerns. We are working diligently to address them as a responsible member of the community we want to be a part of,” said a Birley spokesperson, who added that because the private club is for dining, not dancing, “there will be no line outside, no rowdy crowd making their way or trying to come in. It is a quiet and understated establishment.”
After the heated debate, the community board tabled discussion until September.