SEASIDE HEIGHTS – The nightclub Karma is in danger of losing its liquor license if it doesn’t comply with borough rules, officials said.
Karma was originally pitched as a restaurant with a bar, but the restaurant has closed, leaving it only as a nightclub. Nightclubs are not permitted on the Boulevard, only on the boardwalk, said Business Administrator Christopher J. Vaz.
These statutory requirements, coupled with reports of overdoses and teenage drinking at a recent event, led the Borough Council to deny the renewal of the club’s liquor license at a recent meeting.
There are rules that an establishment on the Boulevard would have to follow, Vaz said. Some of them have to do with its operation. For example, keeping doors shut while loud entertainment is on. But some of the issues are more significant, such as the drug and alcohol issues that brought police to the Hyperglow party recently.
The license would normally have expired on June 30. Karma filed for its renewal as usual. However, a denial doesn’t mean that the place is going to shut down. Vaz said he expects them to file an appeal, and that the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control will allow them to stay open while the appeal is being heard.
Representatives from Karma did not return a request to comment by press time.
The restaurant, Savor, announced that it was not returning in April. This was followed in May by an announcement that it was going to be a nightclub. Its grand opening was on Memorial Day weekend, which included the hyperglow party, which was described on social media as an ongoing large party of high energy dance music in an ultra violet atmosphere.
The borough attorney was previously ordered to seek an injunction in Ocean County Superior Court to stop its operation.
