Troubled Park Slope Bar Could Lose Liquor License After Fights

PARK SLOPE, NY — A Park Slope bar that's been a sore spot for residents for years could have its liquor license revoked because of drunken patrons, fights and numerous calls to the police, officials said.

The State Liquor Authority (SLA) started proceedings in January to strip Woodland, a bar and restaurant at 242 Flatbush Ave., of its license to sell booze after numerous incidents last year caused it to become "a focal point for police attention," according to the agency.

The renewal for the bar's license was also shot down again by Community Board 6 at its meeting Wednesday night as residents complained of loud noises, huge crowds, drunk driving and patrons stumbling outside the bar and urinating and vomiting in the street.

"They’re so inebriated they don’t know what they’re doing," board member Pauline Blake said at the meeting. "They come in the neighborhood, they don't care where they park, they don't care about young people in the neighborhood."

The bar's license expired in February and owners filed for a renewal, but the SLA won't decide on it until they finish the case to strip them of the license altogether, a spokesman for the agency said. However, under a state law, spots can continue to stay open during disciplinary proceedings until the case has been resolved.

The SLA said its lawyer was currently reaching out to neighbors to testify about the problems with Woodland, and a hearing is expected to be scheduled soon.

The owner of the bar, Akiva Ofshtein, did not respond to a request for comment from Patch, but told Bklyner that he tried to implement changes to appease residents — including adding security guards and crowd control measures — but they "were not enough."

The bar has been a sore spot for Park Slopers since its owner first announced plans to take over the former Royal Video storefront in 2012. Ofshtein planned to open the spot as the club Prime 6, but drew ire for residents after advertising bottle service with scantily clad women, Brownstoner reported.

It was later retooled to become a "farm-to-table" restaurant called Woodland, but residents said it quickly turned into a party spot with bottle service in the basement.

"Woodland has been an issue for a long time," board chair Sayar Lonial said at the meeting, adding that the board previously started a task force to address the bar's issues. "We've done all we can, our voice is not being heard."

The spot still became a popular spot for local politicians to host fundraisers, including Mayor Bill de Blasio and Borough President Eric Adams, even as the owners faced backlash from residents and legal troubles, DNAinfo reported.

Twin brothers Robert and Zhan Petrosyants, who were listed in court documents as having a financial stake in Woodland with Ofshtein, pleaded guilty to laundering money out of a Queens check-cashing business in 2014, according to federal prosecutors and DNAinfo.

Robert Petrosyants spent six months in prison for the charges while Zhan Petrosyants was sentenced to five years probation, DNAinfo reported.

The Petrosyantses and Ofshtein were also sued by four investors in 2016 after they allegedly bilked them out of $1 million claiming they would use the money for other spots, but put it into Woodland instead, DNAinfo reported.

Aside from the legal troubles, the bar's owners have also faced financial problems and owe thousands of dollars in back taxes, court records show.

The owners, under the name Prime Six Inc., filed for bankruptcy in 2015 but that was thrown out in 2016, records show. They filed another bankruptcy claim last year which hasn't been decided yet, according to court records.

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