the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Mahwah NJ, the Mason Jar is suing the Mahwah Township Council over regulations it adopted in September, claiming they make it impossible to continue providing music in an outdoor dining pavilion erected in place of a tent on the property in May 2021.
Residents who live just south of the 2-acre restaurant property. They filed at least 13 noise complaints against the restaurant between August 2020 and June 2021 alone. To the south the Restaurant is bordered by the single-family zone, primarily residents of Clark Street and Locust Lane. The suit argues that the restaurant has been carrying on outdoor dining entertainment for 13 years without incident. The suit says complaints have been filed by only seven nearby residents.
Ira Kaplin, the owner of Mason Jar says the new regulations go too far :
Require a license application 21 days before each proposed event, with no deadline on approvals.
Limit outdoor entertainment licenses to seven events per year, and no more than two per month.
Restrict license times to three hours between noon and 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, between noon and 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Do not allow licenses on Sundays.
Cost $100 per license.
Do not allow noise levels to exceed 55 decibels, compared with a state limit of 65 decibels before 10 p.m. and 50 decibels after 10 p.m.
One more move by Govt.to put the small guys out of business,The big guys own them.
Please. And if you were a neighbor, you’d be screaming at “THE GOVT” to do something about the noise.
This Mahwah Council goes out of its way to harm businesses in this town. What they have done to the Mason Jar is very embarrassing for our community.
I hope our community rallies it’s support for the Jar!