Government

Three restaurants up for public hearing Monday

The former Galley Ho across the street from Legends and Summer Girl boutique on First Street’s New Suffolk Waterfront Fund land. Plans to move and expand the restaurant have run into resistance from nearby business owners and residents. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)
The former Galley Ho across the street from Legends and Summer Girl boutique on First Street’s New Suffolk Waterfront Fund land. Plans to move and expand the restaurant have run into resistance from nearby business owners and residents. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)

Southold Town Planning Board members are holding several high profile public hearings on Monday evening for restaurants proposed across Southold Town.

Up for discussion are Greenport Harbor Brewery’s new Peconic location, The Blue Inn’s restaurant proposal and The New Suffolk Waterfront Fund’s proposal to rehab the Galley Ho restaurant.

Greenport Harbor Brewery is proposing to renovate three existing buildings on the former Lucas Ford auto dealership property in Peconic into a microbrewery.  Two buildings will be used as production facility, while the third is planned to house a tasting room and brew pub, according to its site plan. The company also plans to construct a fourth building for storage.

The Blue Inn is hoping to open its existing 1,070 sq. ft. restaurant to the public; currently it is reserved exclusively for guests of the East Marion hotel.  In November, Southold Town Zoning Board of Appeals granted a special exception for the restaurant to expand its food service with some restrictions. If the planning board gives final approval to the proposal, the Blue Inn would only be able to open the restaurant to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from June 1 through Labor Day. There wouldn’t be outdoor music permitted after 9 p.m. and the bar would need to close at 11 p.m.  Also, the restaurant cannot be advertised, according to ZBA restrictions.

Finally, the Planning Board will hold a public hearing on New Suffolk Waterfront Fund’s plan to turn the now-vacant Galley Ho restaurant building, which previously sat 18 feet from the shoreline, to be relocated, renovated and expanded by 47 square feet. The building was badly damaged by floodwaters during Hurricane Sandy. The new 66-seat eatery would be situated roughly 75 feet from the water’s edge, according to the nonprofit’s vice chairwoman, Linda Auriemma.

Recently, neighbors of the First Street property in New Suffolk criticized the Waterfront Fund’s plan to operate a commercial restaurant that claim the group is choosing revenue over preservation. Those neighbors have started a petition, hoping to stop the project from moving forward.

All three matters are up for public debate Monday night at 6 p.m. at the Southold Town meeting hall.

View the board’s entire agenda below:

Southold Planning Board agenda 6-2-14