Gov. Andrew Cuomo has blocked a caterer’s bid to serve booze inside an Upper East Side church.
Cuomo on Friday vetoed a controversial bill that would have permitted the Rose Group to serve hard liquor at 583 Park, a high-end events hall located within the Third Church of Christ, Scientist on Park Avenue and E. 63rd Street.
The chic caterers have spent $373,401 since 2011 on lobbyists to sway lawmakers to amend state law so hard liquor could be served inside the church, records show.
One lobbyist, who received $245,000 from Rose, spread $27,500 to state legislators and $32,000 to Cuomo’s campaign committee. Rose chipped in another $5,000 to Cuomo during the same period, records show.
Those spending levels raised eyebrows at The Moreland Commission, which began probing Rose’s lobbying efforts last year, a source told The Post.
Lawmakers passed Rose’s bill that would have allowed the booze to flow at 2 a.m. on the last day of the session in June.
State Sen. Liz Krueger, who has opposed Rose’s hard liquor license for several years, said she was pleased with the governor’s decision.
“This is precisely the kind of bill that shouldn’t pass the legislature in the first place, and Gov. Cuomo has my sincere thanks for taking a hard look at the facts and getting this decision right,” she said.
A spokesman for the Rose Group declined to comment until he saw the veto in-hand.
Cuomo also signed legislation Friday to strengthen oversight on pet dealerships and establish a new state license for those serving autistic individuals.