The North End / Waterfront Neighborhood Council (NEWNC) supported the three applications presented at Tuesday’s October 12, 2010 meeting. All council members were in attendance except Anne Devlin Tagliaferro and Luciana Burdi.
Lucia Ristorante, 417 Hanover St., Live Entertainment Application
Donato Frattaroli, long-time owner of Lucia Ristorante, appeared with attorney Bill Ferrullo to seek an entertainment license to include live entertainment in the form of musical instruments (up to 2) with or without a vocalist (1). A significant change is the removal of a comedian which was part of the previous zoning application in November 2009. The zoning change was subsequently approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals. After zoning approval, the second part of the process for a live entertainment license is to apply to the Mayor’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing.
Lucia’s live entertainment will be restricted to the basement level which has a capacity of 52 persons and does not have windows. Entertainment will not be piped into the upper two floors. There will be no amplification of the musical instruments, other than for electronic keyboards. Live entertainment will cease at 11:00 p.m. In November of 2009, Lucia’s sought and obtained a zoning change that allows live entertainment in the basement level of the restaurant. NEWNC supported the application at that time.
Mr. Frattaroli said that the live entertainment would be for “Sinatra-like” music and the room will still be setup for dining. The application has been mirrored after previous rulings by the Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing, with similar conditions. Now that the request for a comedian has been removed from the application, the entertainment will be for music only.
There was some discussion regarding another live entertainment license at nearby Fiore which includes a piano on the ground floor and a roving violin player. NEWNC President Stephen Passacantilli spoke highly of Mr. Frattaroli as a “model business owner who lives in the neighborhood. Lucia’s is right across from my home. This won’t be Bon Jovi.”
Donna Freni moved to support the application for live entertainment, as presented. The council unanimously voted to support the request.
Paulie’s Restaurant-65 Salem St.
Daniel Toscano, attorney for Paul Barker of 65 Salem St., appeared before NEWNC regarding a new takeout restaurant to be named Paulie’s. The address is the former location of Go Banana’s which moved to a larger location across the street. The applicant is seeking a change of occupancy to allow for a small take out restaurant with 18 seats on the ground floor. There will continue to be 4 residential units on the upper floors.
Mr. Barker is the nephew of Joe Pace and is currently manager at J. Pace’s on Devonshire St. in the financial district. With this store on 65 Salem St., Mr. Barker will be going out on his own with a small takeout restaurant offering pasta, soups and sandwiches.
Hours of operation will be 7am – 10pm. There will be 18 seats but no table service, as most customers are expected to takeout. Mr. Toscano said the building’s condo association was in support of the application. The applicant is waiting for a date at the ZBA and expects to open in the Spring of 2011. Mr. Toscano said his client does not intend to immediately apply for an alcohol license.
Donna Freni motioned to support the application as presented, seconded by David Marx. NEWNC voted unanimously to support the application.
19 Cooper Street – Residential Conversion
Matthew Sepe, a contractor and developer, recently purchased 19 Cooper St. and has applied for a zoning change on the first floor from commercial to residential. The three units on the upper floors will remain residential.
Mr. Sepe intends to sell the renovated units as condos or rent them depending on market conditions. The developer does not intend to live at the location. With a ZBA date scheduled in November, the applicant is seeking relief for an inadequate floor-area ratio, lack of open space, and no provision for off-street parking.
The ground floor unit is only 576 square feet and the applicant does not believe it is practical for it to serve as a commercial unit. Instead, he intends to market the unit as a studio. Nicole Leo, of the Mayor’s Office, noted that the minimum space generally expected for a studio is 600 square feet.
A basement exists in the building and will be used for common area storage and trash. The building height is not being raised, with a current height of approximately 42 feet.
Although not directly part of the zoning request, the issue of a potential roof deck was discussed at length by the council. NEWNC President Stephen Passacantilli noted that the neighborhood has a general problem with college students causing havoc on roof decks. Giancarlo Tiberi said that landlords need to take responsibility for their tenants.
The applicant said he was willing to work with the council to include roofdeck guidelines that could be incorporated into the initial condominium documents. It was noted that such guidelines could later change once the condos are sold to other owners. Only the top unit will have access to the roofdeck.
Jorge Mendoza motioned to support the application, conditioned on providing the council with roofdeck guidelines that will be incorporated as part of the initial condo documents. The motion was seconded by David Marx. The council voted 7-1 in support of the application (Ryan Kenny opposed).
Announcements
Nicole Leo of the Mayor’s office announced that the Public Works Department will be back in the neighborhood to present its pilot program for year-round street cleaning. The meeting will be part of NEWRA Clean Streets on Tuesday, October 19th, 7:00 pm at the Nazzaro Center.
Jorge Mendoza reported on last week’s Public Safety meeting. See this post for details.
Donna Freni reported on the Greenway Conservancy’s efforts to build a new carousel. Comments can be sent to carousel@greenway.org. The Greenway Leadership Council will have a community meeting on November 10th, 6:30 pm at the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel. Donna Freni and Dan Nuzzo were recently re-appointed to the Greenway Leadership Council, both residents of the North End / Waterfront area.
Donna also announced the annual gala for the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park will be held on Friday, November 19th. Tickets can be purchased at www.foccp.org.
Ryan Kenny announced that an officer from Boston Transportation Department will appear at the November 8th NEWNC meeting. The officer will focus on residential parking issues and enforcement. Residents can email info@newncboston.org with issues and concerns.
Jorge Mendoza announced a benefit for the Eliot School, hosted at Vinoteca di Monica on November 16th. Details can be found on this post.
