Mayor Adams defends involvement with troubled Brooklyn venue that’s drawn scrutiny from the state

New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended his office’s efforts to help Brooklyn music venue Avant Gardner, which included brokering a meeting with a top aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul as the venue battled with the State Liquor Authority.

Adams’ comments came in direct response to a Gothamist report Wednesday that detailed his long-standing support of the venue, which has attracted scrutiny from the SLA for what it described as “rampant” drug use and multiple overdose deaths among its patrons. On Wednesday, the mayor said he eventually hoped the city would one day usurp the state’s enforcement over local venues.

“I’ve said it over and over again: the backbone of this city really focuses on small businesses,” Adams said. “If someone comes to our office because they need assistance, we are going to give them the legal assistance that they need.”

Avant Gardner, an 80,000 square foot facility in East Williamsburg that includes the popular concert space known as the Brooklyn Mirage, has clashed with the SLA since opening full time in 2017. Brooklyn power broker Frank Carone, a close friend of Adams, was the venue’s attorney before he served as the mayor’s chief of staff last year, Gothamist’s reporting found.

Avant Gardner’s owner, Juergen “Billy” Bildstein, provided documents to Hochul’s office claiming his business was being targeted by the SLA, which controls the venue’s ability to sell alcohol. With the assistance of Adams’ office, Bildstein secured a meeting in July with top public officials, including the mayor’s chief adviser and Kathryn Garcia, a top aide to Hochul who oversees the SLA, according to documents obtained by Gothamist and interviews with public officials.

In addition to defending his office’s involvement with Avant Gardner during a Wednesday morning press conference at City Hall, Adams said he hoped the city can one day control the SLA’s authority over venues in the city.

“I’m hoping that eventually we’ll get to the day that the SLA is handled on the city level,” Adams said. “I don’t think people outside the city should be making the requirements or how it’s enforced here.”

Afterwards, Adams’ press secretary Fabien Levy echoed the mayor’s comments, and applauded the venue for its continued cooperation with the NYPD, adding “they have medical staff on call at all times when the clock is operating.”

“We want to help small businesses, and we want to make sure people are safe, obviously as well,” Levy said. “[Avant Gardner] is taking steps to do that.”

Jon Campbell contributed reporting.