by Carl Corry |
A plan for Boom Burger to set up shop in Patchogue was delayed Tuesday night after the village Planning Board adjourned its application at a public hearing.
The board is seeking clarity on issues related to the rights to several parking spaces.
Boom Burger, which has locations in Mattituck and Westhampton Beach, wants to build a third venue in the former Masonic Temple behind Del Fiore’s pork store at 15 Oak Street.
The plan for the 40-seat restaurant requires 20 parking spaces — one space per two seats.
The Boom Burger team, including partners Anthony Catanzano, 32, of Westhampton, and Anthony Cicogna, 42, of Westhampton Beach, came with a site plan they believed demonstrated access to the needed spaces.
But Planning Board members questioned an easement to share five spaces with the next-door property owner, and if the spaces themselves blocked right-of-way access.
Chairman John Rocco said the board needed to see “a clear agreement” between the parties involved in the Boom Burger deal and the owner of the adjacent property, the identity of which was not immediately clear.
“We need a clear title showing that the parking isn’t part of property next door, and that it isn’t blocking the right of way,” added planning and zoning coordinator Carol Giglio.
Boom Burger is seeking permission for a change of zone to D-2 Business to restaurant.
Looking for negotiating room to accommodate the concerns about the easement, Boom’s architect, Robert Gruber, suggested scaling back the seating capacity to 30, which would require five fewer parking spaces.
But that still left open a question about the right-of-way access.
Abie Siegel, 87, who ran Blum’s Swimwear & Intimate Apparel on Main Street for years before retiring and handing over the reins to his son, spoke in opposition to the proposal.
“I am very enthused about young guys going into business, but this is not the place,” he said. “There just isn’t enough parking.”
Siegel said the restaurant would stress an already-burdened parking infrastructure. He invited the Planning Board to observe mid-morning parking conditions on Oak Street, to which Blum’s has a rear entrance.
“There’s no parking on Oak Street,” he said. “It’s terrible right now.”
However, the property’s real estate broker, Dan Hurney of Long Island Commercial Real Estate in Bellport, stressed that the restaurant would provide quick service and “would be geared toward teenagers” who “would not be sitting around at a bar.”
Boom Burger is proposing hours of 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., seven days a week, and it would like to serve wine and beer.
Earlier in the day, Catanzaro spoke of the company’s plans for the building.
“It’s going to be a complete build-out, from the water lines to the gas lines” to a walk-up service window and a needed sewer hookup.
“It’s really going to be from the ground up, so it’s going to be cool to see it developed,” he said.
Catanzaro said his operation can get daily deliveries of fresh ground beef that’s an exclusive blend from a local butcher.
He also said they chose the area because of its welcoming climate for businesses, and the people.
“It’s a fun spot,” he said. “We see a lot of restaurants going in there. And there’s good energy and people. Everyone from the town to the mayor to our landlord, even our realtor. It’s a lot of good vibes. It’s exciting.”
He’s also not concerned about competition from the restaurants of all types popping up in the village, because each place offers its own special flare, he said.
After the hearing, Catanzaro said that while he had hoped to move ahead more quickly, his team would regroup and come up with a plan.
“We’re going to keep pursuing it. We have a good model. It’s more fun with a challenge.”
Carl Corry is a longtime Long Island journalist. You can find him covering everything from food to local history. He recently earned a master’s degree in communications from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and was inducted into the Long Island Journalism Hall of Fame — Contributor Wing.
