By Journal Staff
The Revere License Commission held its regular monthly meeting last Wednesday, February 18, in the City Council Chamber. On hand were chair Robert Selevitch and fellow members Liliana Monroy and Daniel Occena.
The major news from the meeting was the approval by the commission of the request from the owners of the legendary Kowloon Restaurant on Route 1 in Saugus for all-alcohol restaurant and entertainment licenses to operate a Kowloon Tiki Bar at 21 Revere Beach Blvd.
The Kowloon requested seating for 115 patrons inside and 60 outside, with requested hours of operation from Sunday–Saturday from 11 a.m. – 2 a.m. The requested entertainment is for Widescreen Cable TV, DJ, Amplifiers, Vocal/Instrumental Music, and Dancing by patrons.
John Carlino, the manager of the Kowloon Tiki Bar, appeared before the commissioners. “This will be a family restaurant with a lounge, a bar area, good food, and great drinks,” said Carlino. “”We’ll have DJs and live music to create a ‘beachy-vibe’ in the daytime.”
Occena noted that there had been noise issues involving the establishments that previously had occupied the space.
“I just want to put on record the importance of getting to know this particular location and its residents and its tenants to ensure that whatever decisions you make on behalf of your business do not impede on the quiet enjoyment of the residents in the building,” Occena said.
Monroy also brought up the issue of noise, specifically with regard to the proposed 60 seats for outside seating.
“We take the neighbor complaints seriously, and if we receive complaints, we’ll be revisiting some of these things that you want to put in place,” added Selevitch.
Ward 1 City Councillor Jim Mercurio spoke “strongly in support” of the application. “I believe this establishment will be a positive addition to Revere Beach and will contribute to the economic activity of this area,” Mercurio said.
However, the new Ward 1 councillor noted that there soon will be additional residential buildings nearby and raised a number of potential issues, including: parking; entertainment controls for the DJ and amplified sound for the outdoor seating area; public safety and security needed to control a late-night crowd in an established residential building; and whether there will be coordination with the Revere Police for details on weekend nights.
“I think this will be a great addition to Revere Beach and the residents look forward to being long-time partners with you,” Mercurio concluded.
Carlino addressed the issues raised by Mercurio. “The entertainment will be low-key, like an authentic Tiki Bar,” said Carlino, adding that the Kowloon will seek to utilize police details, especially on weekends.
Revere Police Lieut. Glenn Malley added that loud music had been an issue in the past with the previous establishments.
Claudia Correa, the Chief of Staff for Mayor Patrick Keefe, spoke in support of the application. “We are very confident that this will be a great addition to the beach,” Correa said. “People are excited about this as the beach area continues to grow economically and bring vibrancy to the area.”
Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselslky, the dean of the City Council, also spoke in favor of the application, though he noted that decibel levels of the music, especially late at night, are a big concern for residents of his ward who live nearby.
“I totally support this and everyone in the city is fully in support of this,” Novoselsky added.
Renowned disc jockey George Athas, who is a familiar figure in clubs and restaurants both in Revere and throughout Greater Boston, addressed the commission members’ concerns about loud music. Athas assured the commissioners that the music at the Kowloon’s other locations is neither loud nor offensive. After the commissioners thanked Athas for his input, they voted unanimously in favor of the application.
In other matters, the commissioners approved a request for change of manager for R K & E Corp.d/b/a BK’s Bar & Grill, 264 Ocean Avenue, from Mariln Symmes to Robert B. Kelley.
The commission conducted a hearing involving Taqueria Eucalipto II Corp.
d/b/a Las Vegas Restaurant, 107 Shirley Avenue, Claudia Isabel Cabrera, Manager, “into disruptions of the public safety and order, service to intoxicated patrons, violation of license closing rules and violation of on-premises license law.”
The commissioners, with the consent of the owner, previously had reduced the establishment’s hours to 1:00 AM in December as part of a general reduction in hours for other nearby establishments in response to complaints from area residents about noise.
However, after Lieut. Malley said there have been no reports of incidents in the past few months, the commissioners unanimously voted to reinstate Las Vegas’s closing hours to 2:00 AM, as they had done for the other establishments last month.
The commission took up another continued hearing pertaining to alleged drinking in the parking lot adjacent to Bill Ash’s Lounge on Revere Beach. After determining that the management has taken steps to resolve the issue, the commissioners dismissed the matter.
The commission renewed the following licenses for the coming year:
Fortune teller:
Mary Wasso d/b/a Revere Psychic Studio, 230 Squire Road
Common Victualler:
Casablanca House of Pastry, Inc., 151 VFW Parkway, Suite 60
Chocolaffee, LLC, 9 Dehon Street
Hasbegu, Inc. d/b/a Glen’s Roast Beef, 325 Bennett Hwy
Maksim Xhengo d/b/a Mak’s Roast Beef & Pizza, 35 Revere St
Vlladesi, Inc. d/b/a Bagel Bin Deli, 207 Shirley Avenue
Entertainment:
Vlladesi, Inc. d/b/a Bagel Bin Deli, 207 Shirley Avenue
Class 2 Motor Vehicle Dealer:
Joseph A. DeFeo d/b/a City Auto Sales & Service, 516 Broadway
Serop Rob Nakashian d/b/a Beach Motors Auto Sales, 787B North Shore Rd
Class 1 Motor Vehicle Dealer:
Black Marble Motorcycles, LLC d/b/a Boston Harley-Davidson, 649-1 Squire Road
Lodging House:
RHouse1, LLC, 72 Dehon St
RHouse2, LLC, 675 Beach St
The next meeting of the commission is set for Wednesday, March 18.
