CAPE MAY — City Council tabled one applicant’s liquor license renewal after several residents raised concerns about noncompliance.
During the June 1 meeting, several residents spoke about issues related to the special conditions included in the liquor license for the New Jersey Farmers Cooperative Group LLC, aka the Southern Mansion.
City Council amended the resolution to remove the applicant, with further discussion planned for the June 16 meeting. Mayor Zack Mullock abstained from voting.
Solicitor Chris Gillin-Schwartz said City Council completes routine liquor license renewals in batches, and there is time before the license’s expiration date of July 1.
“I think the parties, the city being one of them, could benefit from tabling the renewal,” Gillin-Schwartz said, adding that he encouraged all parties to have discussions about the concerns in advance of the date.
The solicitor added that since the applicant was not at the meeting, the business needs to be made aware of the concerns.
“The reason I’m here today is whereas these conditions were not just promises to us, but they were incorporated into your approval,” city resident John Lynch said, adding that at the time of the initial consideration for the liquor license, neighbors met with the applicant to express concerns and agree to terms that would enable them not to object to it going forward.
Lynch provided the council with a packet of photos to share regarding the property.
“I wish to add, four years in the making and the neighbors didn’t want to come back to you folks, but we have a problem,” Lynch said. “The learning is [part] of that process.”
When Southern Mansion’s liquor license was approved in 2022, there were several special conditions, including:
— The exterior lights facing Corgie Street would turn off at 9 p.m. each evening
— The owner would contract with a private hauler to remove recyclable materials simultaneously with on-site trash removal, to avoid the pickup on Corgie Street by the city
— The hedge abutting Corgie Street would be maintained and replaced within a reasonable time if it dies
— Chairs and ashtrays would be removed from the rear patio area abutting Corgie Street and “No Smoking” signs posted in the area
— The bar in the lower-level ballroom area would be open for events only and would close when the specific event terminates, no later than 10 p.m.
— The historic bar on the ground-level ballroom toward the front of the building would cease service at 10 p.m. during events, but during non-event nights would be open until 11 p.m. to serve guests of the hotel only. However, room service drinks would be served from this location and would terminate at midnight during both event and non-event nights
— For the avoidance of any doubt, service during special events shall not exceed 150 people, exclusive of room guests. Service at all other times would be limited to 96 registered guests of the tourist/guest house.
Deputy Mayor Maureen McDade asked Lynch if he had spoken with the property owner. Lynch said he had not.
“As you consider options for the liquor license renewal, I hope you would consider doing what the council discussed, which was that the liquor license gives you more control,” Lynch said. “Perhaps you don’t’ renew it; maybe you first say they have to address all the issues of concern before you.”
Corgie Street resident Jane Pyleski Howard said she became a full-time resident in 2022 and her home is directly across the street from the Southern Mansion.
She said she and Lynch filed complaints with the police department and code enforcement
“I would like to share that I have personally witnessed, on more than one occasion, wedding guests cutting through the gap in the Southern Mansion hedgerow, with their drinks and smoking cigarettes and cannabis,” Howard said.
She added that she and her husband have experienced disturbances between 1 and 2 a.m., with intoxicated people ascending or descending the spiral staircase and sitting on the upper deck of the building, talking and laughing loudly.
“There is ongoing light pollution from lights that outline the Southern Mansion’s roofline and either side of the spiral staircase,” she said. “They remain on 24/7 365 days a year and shine into our homes, especially our second-level bedroom.”
Another concern Howard addressed was the roof exhaust vent emitting foul odors and running noisily for hours.
“At times, it seems to be forgotten as it runs all night into the next day,” she said. “I’ve done some research and exhaust vents are to run five to 15 minutes prior to cooking, during cooking, and after cooking for 15 to 30 minutes to clear lingering smoke, grease-laden vapors and heat from the kitchen.”
Corgie Street resident Elizabeth Parker asked if any additional conditions could be included in any license renewal.
“Corgie Street has been used as a loading zone for the Southern Mansion and most recently, a tractor-trailer last week blocked [the] street for a total of 21 minutes,” she said. “Corgie Street is only 19 feet wide, with parking allowed on one side, so the travel lane is 9 to 10 feet and that compromises any special emergency services that could reach residents in time.”
Parker added that the street has more full-time residents and children than in 2022.
“The employees of the Southern Mansion should really park on site or use a municipal parking lot, rather than monopolize the limited parking on Corgie Street,” Parker said.
She added that the property owner is not maintaining the streetscape or the hedgerow.
Gillin-Schwartz said that when the liquor license first came before the City Council several years ago, there was problem-solving on the application and two letters from the council that led to a resolution.
“It sounds like that conversation may need to be revisited,” he said. “I would encourage the applicant to listen to those concerns.”
City Manager Paul Dietrich said he would work with code enforcement to assess the validity of the concerns and issues raised by residents and to address them.
Councilman Steve Bodnar said the business has held the license for four years, renewed annually.
“I haven’t been here for four years, but I was here last year and there wasn’t any discussion about it,” Bodnar said. “At the same time, if it has been going on for a long period, I think it’s reasonable that the applicants may not realize there were issues there as well.”
Bodnar added that there were points of contention among the neighbors, and that everybody needed to be at the table for that discussion.
Background
In July 2022, City Council tabled a person-to-person and place-to-place liquor license transfer for plenary retail consumption from the Merion Inn to the New Jersey Farmers Cooperative Group.
During the July 22, 2022, meeting, Gillin-Schwartz stated for the record that the city received objections and letters of concern regarding the transfer.
At the next meeting, Aug. 2, 2022, council reintroduced an amended resolution. The council voted to adopt as amended, with Councilwoman Lorraine Baldwin voting no, Councilman Shane Meier voting yes, Mullock abstaining, the at-the-time Deputy Mayor Stacey Sheehan absent and at-the-time Councilman Mike Yeager voting yes.
After a five-minute recess, council passed a motion to reconsider the vote but with the same result, and the original vote stood.
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
