Babylon votes to put a moratorium on new bars, restaurants

The Village of Babylon board of trustees voted Tuesday to put a partial moratorium on new bars and restaurants in the village in 2017.

Mayor Ralph Scordino said he hopes the moratorium will help the village strike a balance between places to eat, drink, and shop in the community.

The village already contains a number of bars and restaurants. Alleviating the car congestion and parking crunch that they create is another goal of the plan, Scordino said.

“We just want to get a better count on the volume of traffic and make sure that we have a diversified business district,” Scordino said before the board meeting.

“It seems like, as soon as a retail store goes out of business, someone wants to put a restaurant or bar there,” Deputy Mayor Kevin Muldowney said. 

An exception will be made for applications to open a bar or restaurant in a commercial space that previously hosted a venue for drinking or dining.

The village initiated a similar moratorium in 2011.

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