News from the Planning Board Meeting

There are plans afoot to turn the building on South Third Street that was, not long ago, Harmon's Auto Repair into a coffee shop by day and a wine bar by night.

The people who plan to make the transformation happen are leasing the property from the current owner: Galvan Partners. Tonight, they were at the Planning Board seeking a special exception use permit, but as it turned out, a special exception use permit was not what they needed. South Third Street is lined with commercial buildings, but it is also part of the Waterfront Revitalization Area. The new zoning for the Waterfront Revitalization Area, which is part of the LWRP (Local Waterfront Revitalization Program), designates South Third Street, from Cherry Alley to beyond Montgomery Street, residential--R-4 on the west side, R-3 on the east side.

Because the building has been vacant for more than a year, it has lost its nonconforming use status. Daniel Tuczinski, counsel to the Planning Board, explained that "a wine bar is not a conditional use or a permitted use in an R-4 zone." He told the applicants, "What you are trying to do in the zone does not technically fit," but he promised to study the issue and discuss it with Craig Haigh, code enforcement officer, before the end of the week, so that the applicants can, if it is so determined, apply to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a use variance when the ZBA meets next Wednesday.
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