Millbrook Planning Board opens public hearing on restaurant application

MILLBROOK — The sole item to be considered at the Monday, Aug. 12 meeting of the Planning Board was a public hearing for a special permit in connection with reinstituting a restaurant at 16-18 Alden Place Drive.

Because the public hearing had not been appropriately noticed to all adjoining property owners, however, the Planning Board voted to open the hearing to allow those residents who were in attendance to voice their comments, and to then hold the hearing open for two weeks when a special meeting will hear more comment.

That special meeting to hear additional comments has been scheduled for Monday, Aug. 26, beginning at 6 p.m.
The applicant and restaurant owner Nunzio Incorvaia said that he had operated a successful restaurant at the location for more than 30 years, after which time it had been operated by different owners. The building has been vacant for a year.

Incorvaia is asking to continue the use as a restaurant. He plans no changes to the property.

A lifelong neighboring property owner acknowledged that under Incorvaia’s years of ownership there had been no problems, but the restaurant property had become problematic when it was under subsequent ownership.

“Over the years I ran it,” Incorvaia said, “there was never a problem. I never heard an issue from anyone.”

The concerns voiced by two neighboring property owners arose from the proximity of the restaurant to residential properties.
Planning Board chairman Frank Redl summarized residents’ comments into four areas of concern. Included in the list are noise, hours of operation (a closing time at 9 p.m. would align with other Millbrook restaurants), smoke from the patio smoking area, and garbage disposal.