Lucharitos expansion would double size of Greenport restaurant
Lucharitos owner Marc LaMaina wants to expand the kitchen of his Greenport restaurant, add a bathroom, a storage room, a walk-in freezer, expand the bar into a “U” shape, and double the number of seats for customers.
In order to do that, first, he has to tear down a wall.
The Mexican restaurant owner spoke before the village’s Planning Board Thursday night, seeking approval for a site plan to expand Lucharitos into a vacant space next door.
The larger restaurant would seat about 50 total customers. Lucharitos can now hold 16 customers at its tables and 12 at the bar, he said.
The proposal he pitched also seeks to create a second doorway for staff to enter in the back. Mr. LaMaina — who briefly entertained a run for village mayor last year — said he currently shares the door with the apartment upstairs.
“It gets a little complicated,” he said. The apartment would not be altered as part of the restaurant expansion.
Mr. LaMaina told the Planning Board he would not add any additional signs to the building, poking fun at his previous run-ins with the Zoning Board of Appeals over an illuminated sign that was finally approved last April.
“I’ve had enough,” he joked.
After the meeting, Mr. LaMaina said the wall that would be demolished isn’t a load-bearing wall. The expansion would also give Mr. LaMaina space to create a merchandise section of his restaurant to sell shirts and other products.
He hopes to have the project completed by early April, pending the approval of the board.
The proposal will now go to a public hearing, scheduled potentially as soon as next week, according a resolution passed by the Planning Board.
