New Karaoke Bar Planned For 39th And 3rd Avenue in Sunset Park

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — A new karaoke bar is coming to the corner of 3rd Avenue and 39th Street, with its owner promising to run a secure ship that won't cause problems for neighbors.

M3 Karaoke Bar, to be located at 317 39th St., is the work of Zi Li, who said he lives in Coney Island, where he has owned a restaurant for the past ten years. Li said this is his first run at operating a karaoke bar, though he said he's visited such establishments with friends and family throughout his life.

Get more community news from Patch by signing up for our morning newsletter and email alerts.

Plans presented to Community Board 7 on Tuesday night (embedded below) show a business with 15 private karaoke rooms on two floors, as well as a lounge with four tables and a bar with nine seats on the first floor. Food and drinks would be delivered to the rooms. A draft menu includes appetizers, noodle dishes, a fruit plate, liquor, beer and cocktails.

Li said he's currently waiting for his liquor license, but could open the business within a month or two, assuming he receives it.

During past meetings, as well as during Tuesday's gathering, community members raised concerns with 39th Street operating as a "pub crawl" destination, with patrons moving from one local bar to another.

Additionally, a representative from the NYPD's 72nd Precinct, which patrols Sunset Park, said Tuesday that a previous karaoke bar at the location suffered from consistent problems with the drug ketamine.

From October 2013 through November 2016, 43 arrests were made at the location for ketamine use, the officer said. There was also a fatal ketamine overdose there in 2013, he said.

Additionally, a shooting took place outside the former business in November 2014, the officer said, while 39 calls to 911 were placed in reference to activity at the business, largely because taxis and vehicles were blocking traffic on area streets.

To address such issues, Li has hired security firm Proteus to patrol the business. Business representatives Dominic Ranalli and Peter Liota, both former NYPD officers, told CB 7 that they'll have one security guard on the premises for every 50 patrons (the business will be able to hold about 260 people, according to Li), as well as several guards at the door.

The Proteus staffers said they'll use security cameras to record activity in and around the business, will have good lighting on the street, and will log the ID cards of everyone who enters, so that if something happens, police can track suspects.

Liota promised the security operation would be effective, saying that he doesn't want the NYPD to have to spend time "taking collars out of there. It's not going to happen." Liota also said he'd provide his cell phone number to community members.

An attorney for Li added that windows on the doors into the karaoke rooms will be clear, so that those walking past can see what's going on inside the spaces. And Li said he will be on the premises all the time, and will be accessible to community members who want to talk to him.

Pictured at top: the future home of M3 Karaoke Bar. Photo by John V. Santore.