LAKE COMO — The borough council, acting as the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, approved seven liquor licenses and held a public hearing regarding conditions for the liquor license requested for Salty’s Beach Bar at their meeting on June 7.
Borough Attorney Marguerite Schaffer clarified after a question was made during public comment about noise concerns from the bar that the renewal application for Salty’s Beach Bar Belmar LLC, trading as Salty’s, had an objection filed against it and therefore would require a public hearing.
The application was the last to be considered by the board after approving the applications for seven other license renewals and carrying an eighth listed on the meeting’s agenda. Salty’s legal counsel, attorney Samuel Reale, Jr. of Helmer, Conley & Kasselman, P.A., addressed the board on behalf of his clients and cited several objections he had to the proposed resolution.
The application’s objector, Reggie Hyde, who owns the parking lot south of Salty’s through his company 430 Club LLC and is also the owner of Bar Anticipation, was present at the meeting with his own legal counsel, attorney Gregory Vella of Collins Vella & Casello LLC, to voice their objection.
Mr. Hyde clarified during his testimony that the parking lot is rented to Salty’s for use as required by planning board approval and that his LLC owns 49 percent of the stock for Salty’s, however was not involved in the most recent sale of the business, as the bar had previously been the home of Paul’s Tavern until 2021, when it was converted into Salty’s Beach Bar within the year of its predecessor’s closing.
Mr. Hyde also said that his LLC is currently in ongoing litigation with Salty’s Beach Bar.
Mr. Vella explained to the board that he and his client request that a condition be added to the liquor license resolution for Salty’s Beach Bar requiring the establishment to push back the six-foot gray fence along the sidewalk that is encroaching on Mr. Hyde’s property within 30 days of the resolution’s approval.
“All we’re asking is that the applicant move that fence, which is on my client’s property, to the property line so that no alcohol can be served on my client’s property, where it’s not licensed [and] doesn’t have insurance to sell or consume alcohol on my client’s property,” Mr. Vella said.
“Leaving [the fence] there allows the [Salty’s] license holder to sell and consume alcohol on property that’s not licensed and is on my client’s property, which we object,” said Mr. Vella.
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