Jason Starkey wants you to sit down and unwind, preferably in a lounge he operates. In his smokey vision of Shangri-La, a harried professional sits down with a finger or two of a favorite whisky, perhaps Glen Scotia, snips the cap off of a fine cigar and lights it, taking care not to hold the flame too close to the foot.

Starkey says he won’t provide entertainment or food. Just good booze and fine cigars.

Now a Bolivar Belicoso Fino is said to pair well with Glen Scotia’s 14-year-old single malt, and in the hazy ambience that ensues, entertainment might just be a distraction anyway. Alas, this club-like destination is not likely to grace Pine Bush anytime soon.

Starkey outlined his mission for planning board members last week during the informal technical review that follows the close of the regular meeting. Word of his project has already gotten around. Planning board chair Linda Zwart told members that Supervisor Charles Carnes thinks it’s a good idea. A couple of board members agreed. This mind you, in a town that rejected hosting a lounge for folks who would like to unwind with a doobie.

Starkey concedes that the Crawford zoning code does not mention cigar lounges, let alone one where alcohol is served. The town code lumps bars and restaurants together, town attorney Ben Bailey said. And the state’s Clean Indoor Air Act prohibits smoking in a restaurant.

Gailey told Starkey that the regulation of alcohol is the state’s bailiwick, and suggested that Starkey, who said he thought a cigar bar in Nanuet served alcohol, track down the bar and find out under what code it operates.

A cursory search for cigar bars near Nanuet did turn up the well-reviewed Casa de Montecristo. Reviewers also posted a suggestion: visit Montecristo’s sister stores in New Jersey where smokers can also enjoy a drink.

In 2021, four New York State senators co-sponsored a bill to allow the consumption of alcohol in a cigar lounge. Another Senate version was introduced in 2023, the same year a similar bill was introduced in the Assembly, which died in committee.

Town Lot Line Shift

The planning board gave its conditional approval to the town board’s request to shift the lot line between town hall property at 121 Route 302 and the office building property next door at 127 Route 302 that the town bought last year.

All along, the town intended to construct a garage for town and police vehicles on the vacant land behind the office building.

The lot line change will shift six-tenths of an acre to the town hall property and leave roughly eight-tenths of an acre with the office building. The final approval of the lot line shift depends on town engineer Scott Quinn signing off on the change, and Gailey’s review of the site map.

The town bought the office building last year for $810,000. Carnes said the building and remaining land will be put back on the market after it is appraised. The town continues to collect $6,225 each month in rent from tenants in six units. One unit is vacant. The rent goes into the town’s general fund, Carnes said.