Claudio’s plans renovations to expand with additional seating
Claudio’s Waterfront is looking to expand and alter its restaurants just a few months after a controversial summer season.
Managers Stephen Loffredo and Tora Matsuoka attended last Thursday’s Greenport Planning Board meeting to discuss potential changes to 111 Main St. The application is for interior and exterior renovations for the property in the Waterfront Commercial and Historic Districts, according to village records.
Under the new plan, roughly 200 seats will be added throughout all of Claudio’s restaurants. Robert Brown, the architect for the property, said “the main issue” tackled in the plan is new outdoor seating for the restaurant which will be protected by a retractable awning and umbrellas.
Other changes include new exterior doors on the south side of the building and one door on the west side of the restaurant.
The fence and picnic table layout in front of Crabby Jerry’s will also be modified, Mr. Brown said. A storage area and more outdoor seats will be added at that location. The painted pedestrian walkway has been slightly moved west of the restrooms, he said.
The pizza shop behind the Clam Bar will be converted into an accessory prep kitchen for the Clam Bar, Mr. Brown said. The retail shop next to the east wall of the restaurant on Main Street, he said, will be converted into the new pizza parlor.
The parking lot for the property has not and will not change as per the plan, Mr. Brown said. The property currently has 100 parking spots, Mr. Matsuoka said.
Planning board chair Walter Foote mentioned the continued noise complaints made to the village.
“It’s a serious issue, obviously. The fact that we’re getting a proposal that creates … more people, more customers and a little bit more noise is something we have to consider,” he said.
Mr. Loffredo said the work that was performed in winter 2018 helped “eliminate a lot of the prior noise issues.” This winter, he said, Claudio’s will complete additional work to reduce noise coming from the property.
Mr. Matsuoka said the majority of the noise complaints, as he understood it, were related to activity at the Clam Bar. The additional seating at the restaurant will assist the team during lunch and dinner service. However, fewer people visit the restaurant Friday and Saturday nights when the bar is open later.
“So, to some degree, the additional seating is not something that impacts what happens during the time where it may have been perceived to be louder or noisier,” he said.
Claudio’s staff had previously considered renovating the second floor of the restaurant, Mr. Loffredo said, but after analyzing costs he said Claudio’s will not pursue that expansion.
The Planning Board held the pre-submission conference open and requested additional documents from the applicant. Discussions on the site plan will continue Dec. 5.
Photo caption: An aerial view of Claudio’s last week. (Credit: Michael Versandi)
