Expansion Plan for Los Tres Potrillos Faces Community Backlash

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — Expansion plans put forward by Los Tres Potrillos faced stiff opposition from some of the restaurant's Sunset Park neighbors on Wednesday, after which owner Pedro Luna agreed to enter into community mediation in an attempt to address concerns.

The restaurant and bar, located at 1004 4th Ave., wants to take over the shuttered Tropicoso night club next door, which closed earlier this year after loosing its liquor license, according to Community Board 7 district manager Jeremy Laufner.

Luna came before CB7's public safety committee Wednesday seeking a liquor license for the new space. The expansion would increase the number of seats in Los Tres Potrillos from 115 to 185, the business said, in addition to adding 11 bar stools.

The former Tropicoso, adjacent to Los Tres Potrillos

But a neighbor who said he's lived across the street for 12 years (since before the bar opened) showed up at the meeting with a petition signed by more than 50 neighbors calling for the bar to lose its liquor license entirely.

The neighbor, who asked for his name not to be used, described a long list of problems contributed to by the restaurant that he said have persisted for years, including public drunkeness, defecation and urination, patrons smoking, eating and drinking on neighboring steps, public fights, taxi cabs honking for customers up and down 39th Street throughout the night, music so loud that it vibrates through the walls of apartments across the street, and trash — including condoms — strewn up and down the block. The accounts were given credence by two other neighbors in attendance.

The neighbor said he'd talked to Luna years ago about his concerns, but that the owner hasn't changed anything.

The neighbor also said it was obvious that the former Tropicoso — a windowless building — would be used for club activities, not a restaurant, leading to more problems.

"The're just blowing smoke," he said, dismissing the plans Luna submitted as "a total scam."

"A restaurant? Really?" he continued. "They can't even fill the restaurant they have now."

The neighbor said that Luna doesn't live in the neighborhood, which is why he doesn't care about the consequences of his business, adding, "They're making money off our misery."

Luna — who said he didn't want to talk to Patch about the business — said during the meeting that he has two young girls and cares about the quality of life of those in the community, though he also suggested the voiced complaints were exaggerated. And the owner's lawyer, who declined to provide a name or contact information — "I never talk to the press, sorry," he said — told those assembled that while he had just been hired by Luna, he felt the concerns brought up by the neighbors should be dealt with.

"Whether we take the space next door or not, it should be addressed," he said.

The public safety committee then voted to conditionally support Los Tres Potrillos's request for a liquor license for the new space. In exchange, Luna would have to enter into community mediation with locals, led by an impartial third party.

Laufner said he will reach out to professional mediators at the Red Hook Community Justice Center in an attempt to set up the conversation.

The neighbor told Patch that despite his petition, he's willing to give mediation a shot. He said he wants Los Tres Potrillos to agree to changes, such as lowering its music, hiring security guards, and finding a way to quiet the taxi cabs on the block. If the business subsequently violates what it agreed to, he said, the community would have a better chance of getting the business's liquor license revoked by the State Liquor Authority.

CB7's full board will consider the public safety committee's resolution at its next meeting, scheduled for Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the board's office, located at 4201 4th Ave.

Pictured at top: Los Tres Potrillos. Photos by John V. Santore