Home News Southold Town Government Owner urges planning board to green light opening East Marion restaurant to...

Owner urges planning board to green light opening East Marion restaurant to public

SoutholdLOCAL photo by Lisa Finn

After two contentious public hearings, the owner of the Blue Inn had a chance to discuss his proposal — to open a restaurant on his property to the public — before the Southold Town planning board on Monday.

At two previous public hearings, members of the community have cried out against the plan, raising a host of concerns including traffic, noise, music, light pollution, parking, and access to Orchard Lane – and stating vehemently that quality of life in bucolic East Marion could be forever altered by the eatery.

Planning staff said the town engineer had questions regarding drainage on site; that information is not currently on the site plan.

And, while town fire marshalls had no objections to the plan, the East Marion Fire Department had concerns, including a northwest entrance they said was “not accessible,” with less than one foot of space between fences. The suggestion was that the area be widened by two feet.

Parking near that entrance, fire department officials said, did not leave enough space for an emergency vehicle; the suggestion was that parking in that area should be made parallel to the fence or eliminated altogether.

The northeast entrance was wide enough, fire officials said, but branches needed to be trimmed.

The east entrance should be made wider and larger to accomodate emergency access, fire officials said.

And, East Marion fire officials said, oversized vehicles parked in front might not be able to turn; it was suggested a few spaces be removed from the front of the building.

East Marion Fire Department members also asked for the chance to “take another look” after changes were implemented.

Planning board chair Donald Wilcenski said the planning board would make a trip to Blue Inn, to give “insight” on the comments made by the fire district.

The business’ owner Sam Glass Owner, spoke to the planning board; he was not present at the last public hearing but did speak at the first hearing. The inn “has been in existence for about 60 years,” he said. The comments by the fire district, he said, “come as a surprise to me.” He said trees could be trimmed, and if the number of vehicles on one said needed to be limited, “we can live with that. We can live with what the fire department has asked.”

The Blue Inn’s general manager Mary O’Brien said a fence on the west side had already been taken down.

Parking was also discussed: Currently, there are 29 on-site stalls, as well as a grassy area where additional parking could exist, planning staff said.

Altogether, there is space for 41 potential parking spaces on the parcel.

The restaurant has 48 seats, meaning 16 parking stalls would be needed.

Should the restaurant open, valet parking, with one attendant, would be provided, with cars parked in three rows, with cars parked in back for guests who planned to stay longer.

Glass said the hotel has a certificate of occupancy for 29 units; if the decision was made to utilize valet parking, another 28 spaces would be created, with a total of 57 parking spots.

Addressing questions about valet parking, Glass said one attendant would be sufficient, and if there were more than one car, the cars could be lined up in the driveway to await parking.

“This is just clear and easy,” he said.

The number of employees on-site varies, with a total of eight employees and six present on the weekends, O’Brien said.

Glass said some guests come by Jitney and some local employees ride the bus to work. “We’ve never had a parking situation that I’m aware of,” he said.

“Even two years ago, when the restaurant was open, we never had a problem with parking,” O’Brien said. Photos shown by detractors of cars lining Route 25, she added, were taken at the eatery’s grand opening party.

“We don’t need to park on the street,” Glass said, and suggested the town place a “No Parking” sign outside if parking was a concern.

The restaurant, Glass said, has not been operating this summer. “We really can’t utilize the restaurant without having outside guests come in,” Glass said, adding that mid-week, not many guests were present at the hotel.

Should the restaurant be given the green light to open, Glass said three or four staffers would be needed. He said one seating, from 5:30 p.m. until 7, would be offered, with possibly a second to follow. The restaurant, Glass added, would be open Thursdays through Saturday nights, and possibly just in the afternoon on Sundays.

The restaurant would help draw guests from New York and other areas, who might want to stay overnight. He reminded that in the past, when the restaurant was open, local residents came and “were happy.”

Wilcenski asked about the zoning board of appeals stipulation regarding a parking attendant.

Glass said diners could pull in, and an attendant would park cars on the grass. “It’s really a very simple operation,” he said.

He said if 48 people were eating in the restaurant at the same time, he’d find that “very unusual.”

As for storm drains, Glass said, “We’ve never had a flooding problem.”

Glass said, because Monday would probably be his last time before the planning board, he wished to express the need for the restaurant. A restaurant, he said, would bring visitors who want to sleep over on the North Fork, “hang around outside and have a drink. It’s an asset to us. It attracts more people, and adds vitality to the area. You want to have people come out here. You don’t want to have to look for the next car to come down the street.”

The restaurant, he added, “would be very helpful to us and to the business community.”

With the inn in existence for decades, Glass said guests used to come and eat at the restaurant. “This is not a big restaurant. It’s 48 people. Valet parking is quite doable, and should not be a problem for us at all.”

After the meeting, Glass added that if the town wanted to avoid empty parking lots, “they need to do something.” His other business in Montauk, he said, exists in a “vibrant” community, with a Chamber of Commerce that encourages new business.

The planning board will discuss the application at its August 4 meeting.

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