Gay Nightclub in Danger of Closing
NPU-F defers vote on the liquor license application for Jungle Club
A Cheshire Bridge Road nightclub is in jeopardy of closing its doors.
Neighborhood Planning Unit-F deferred a vote on Monday night to consider a permanent liquor license for Jungle Club because owner Richard Cherskov failed to address the Lindridge Martin Manor Neighborhood Association before his presentation to the planning unit.
Typically, liquor license applicants seek approval from the neighborhood associations before presenting to the planning unit.
Applications move onto the License & Review Board run by the Atlanta Police Department after they are heard at the planning level. The final decision rests in the hands of the mayor.
The 5-4 vote Monday night pushed the decision on the license to March, and Cherskov and his lawyer said that’s not enough time to get approval before the temporary license expires in April.
“If we have to do these meetings in a certain order, we are going to be closed down,” Cherskov said.
Cherskov said he missed the February neighborhood association meeting because of a miscommunication of the meeting date.
Jungle Club, a gay nightclub, opened in the mid 2000s with a full liquor license, but in an effort to save money, former club owners decided against renewing the license at the end of 2011.
The former owners saved $5,000 by not renewing the license, but the cost-cutting move may cost Cherskov and his 15 employees a paycheck.
He was granted a temporary license in December when he took over as owner, but the license expires April 2 and he is unable to get an extension.
Cherskov will plead his case to the liquor license review board on March 6.
Jungle Club is located at 2115 Faulkner Road, just off Cheshire Bridge Road.
Do you agree with the NPU-F decision to defer the vote? Tell us in the comments!
John Wolfinger
7:51 am on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
This article really points out the fact that most liquor license holders are not involved in any way with the neighborhood associations in which they operate. As a rule, it seems that the only time license holders ever engage themselves with civic associations and NPUs is when they are in the license approval process. If the Jungle Club management team had taken an interest in the community around them they would already have known about the meeting dates and could have been at the right time at the right place, and saved themselves a lot of frustrations.
Henry Batten
9:06 am on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
I'll second John's comments.
Russ
6:23 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
I agree with John... Besides the day the temp license was granted should have been the day they started getting their affairs in order to obtain the permanent license.
I mean it's not like selling liquor is optional to any bar. It's pretty much the sole source of income except for a door cover charge in Jungles case...
Dan Lovingood
6:38 pm on Wednesday, February 22, 2012
I agree 100% with the comment made by John Wolfinger (above) about Atlanta's liquor license holders in general. I will go one step further. What would greatly facilitate cooperation between gay-owned establishment liquor license holders and the neighborhoods in which they operate, and their associated civic groups and NPUs, is a gay-straight business and community alliance. Ignoring this need and the issues brought about by its absence will not make it 'go away'. Another factor here is operation for indefinite periods of time under temporary license. This always keeps one's head above the weeds where the blade turn. $5000 is roughly the cost of one big name international DJ for one night, or two established internationally recognized DJs for two nights. I do not profess to know all the facts here, but aren't permanent liquor licenses a salable commodity that goes with the business upon potential sale of the business in the future. If so, or even if not so, $5000 seems a wise investment for a club that was named in 2011 by JustCircuit Magazine as "The Best Night Club East of the Mississippi River".