Boorish booze hounds are peeing on property, having sex in cars, and tossing used condoms onto Greenwood Heights sidewalks, say the grossed-out neighbors of a massive new beer garden that was opened by the son of rocker Ted Nugent.
Ever since the 700-seat beer hall Greenwood Park opened on 19th Street and Seventh Avenue last month, neighbors say their greatest fears about the venue have come true — including late-night noise, drunken driving, a street smell one resident described as “a mix of pee, cigarettes, and throw-up,” and public sex.
“You catch people making out in the entrance of apartments — and there’s noise throughout the night,” Greenwood Heights resident Jerry Simon said.
He and other neighbors want owners of the bar to hang signs encouraging patrons to be quiet while leaving, hire extra security staffers, and install Porta-Potties.
Residents claim the problem is worse on the weekends, when daytime drinkers come for the 40 draft brews and outdoor bocce ball courts and linger until nightfall — and second-shifters become more free-wheeling with the contents of their bladders.
Residents first expressed concerns about the beer garden — which is about the size of three basketball courts — last spring, saying owners had blown off neighbors and Community Board 7’s attempts to meet.
The bar then opened in June and neighbors soon began catching couples having sex in cars and on the street, especially on a secluded stretch of 19th Street near Eighth Avenue.
“On any given night, we are witnessing public urination, sexual acts being performed, and drunks stumbling down the block,” said another neighbor, Jack, who asked this paper to withhold his last name because of safety concerns.
Owner Ted Mann said he takes seriously his responsibility to keep the area safe and clean.
“Our security has grown from two to eight individuals walking the space both inside and out,” said Mann, who recently found out that his dad is the famous rocker.
Mann said he plans to meet with Community Board 7, is working with neighbors to address their concerns, and is considering installing Porta-Potties on busy nights in addition to the bar’s eight unisex bathroom stalls.
“It is our goal to do whatever is necessary to provide the entire community with a quality place,” he said.
Gun-slinging power-rocker Ted Nugent is best known for his 1970s hit “Cat Scratch Fever,” in which he makes some less-than-subtle comparisons between females and cats.
Reach reporter Natalie O'Neill at noneill@cnglocal.com or by calling her at (718) 260-4505.
