By Marley Seaman
But after months of community protests, the G Spot, planned for the former site of the Elks Lodge 1485 headquarters at 244 Hempstead Turnpike, has yet to open. Earlier this month, the club's owners received word of the latest blow against it: The New York State Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has refused to grant it a liquor license.
On Aug. 23, the chairman and both commissioners of the ABC voted to deny the G Spot the license. The reasons for the rejection were not immediately clear, but community opposition may have been a factor: An ABC employee said that there were about 40 letters from West Hempstead residents on file. The West Hempstead Civic Association also sent letters to state Sen. Dean Skelos and Assemblyman Tom Alfano, and persuaded 1,700 residents to sign a petition saying they did not want the lounge in their community.
According to an ABC employee, the most common reasons for the denial of a liquor license include an applicant's failure to comply with the application process, an applicant's criminal history, an applicant's inability to verify where his or her funding comes from, evidence that the location is a hot spot for crime, or evidence that the applicant is fronting for another person or group.
Initial opposition to the lounge centered on its double-entendre name. (The G is the first initial of its owner, Gunika Singh.) A source close to Singh said that she now wants to call the business the Mod Lounge.
The name made residents wonder if the club would follow in the footsteps of controversial businesses like Café Wandy's, which began life as a restaurant and allegedly changed into a loud cabaret. After complaints from community members and Town of Hempstead officials, Wandy's moved to Hempstead. Residents also wondered whether the clientele of the G Spot ‹ with residences nearby ‹ would be rowdy late into the night, and whether the club's dearth of parking, and its location on a busy street, would lead to accidents.
"We really were opposed to the bar," said civic association President Rosalie Norton. "We could not care less about what they called it. The crux of the matter rested with the location, location, location."
Singh, who did not return calls seeking comment, denied that the club would be disruptive or that its patrons would drink too much. She has described the club as a place where a young, upscale crowd could gather and enjoy cocktails and food.
Singh has the right to appeal the state's decision to deny the liquor license, but so far no appeal has been filed. Bob White, an attorney who has advised Singh, said he had not spoken to her recently and did not know her plans. White acknowledged, however, that without a liquor license, and facing community opposition, she would have few options.
Although it seems increasingly unlikely that the club will open, Norton said she is taking nothing for granted. "It's never over until we see another business come in that is completely different than a bar," she said.
Alfano said he was proud to have helped the community oppose the business. "This was a team effort between our civic organizations and community at large," he said. "We put the case to the liquor authority that this establishment was located in the wrong place and would have a devastating impact on our quality of life in West Hempstead. I personally want to thank the West Hempstead Civic Association, Cathedral Gardens Civic, the Community Alliance and residents for standing up and saying no."
Comments about this story? MSeaman@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.
