Spoleto's making plans to create more casual dining space
Date: 5/18/2009
By Courtney Llewellyn
Reminder Assistant Editor
EAST LONGMEADOW Representatives of Spoleto's Restaurant met with the Planning Board last Tuesday to discuss changes to the eatery's special permit.
Claudio Guerra, owner, and Bill Collins, general manager, appeared before the board with architect Tom Douglas of the Thomas Douglas Architects office in Northampton to discuss changes in the floor plan for the restaurant. They emphasized the fact that the hours and the number of seats for Spoleto's would not change.
"We're turning half the dining room into something more casual," Guerra explained.
Douglas outlined the new plan, which would elongate the bar so there would be more stools for patrons to sit at, and the walls to the right of the main door would be moved and heightened to create a separate dining area. This dining area would have high stools and small tables for patrons to sit at instead of the more formal tablecloth-covered tables in the rest of the restaurant.
The walls between the two areas would most likely be frosted glass, so one room would not be totally cut off from another.
"The walls would be glass. It would be inviting and cozy," Douglas stated.
He added that an additional exit door would be added for the safety of patrons in the separate room.
Guerra told the board that he will speak with all the necessary departments - such as fire, building inspection and the Board of Health before coming back to the Planning Board to set up another meeting.
Director of Planning, Zoning and Conservation Robyn Macdonald noted that a public hearing needs to take place whenever a change is proposed to a special permit.
Mike Przybylowicz, chair of the Planning Board, said the new plan "looks reasonable," and vice-chair Donald Anderson noted the "nice design" of the proposed changes.
***
At their May 12 meeting, the Planning Board also voted to not recommend Article 22 on the Annual Town Meeting warrant, a petitioned article from Jay LeFebvre to see if the town will vote to change the zoning bylaws for multi-family dwelling for 55 and over. LeFebvre's article asks that multi-family dwellings for persons aged 55 and over be permitted in the industrial district only upon special permit and site plan review from the Planning Board.
Przybylowicz noted that LeFebvre will most likely pull the article at the meeting but may go forward with it in the future.
"However good the concept, the way the bylaw is written, we can't go forward with it [now]," Planning Board member George Kingston stated.
"We all support the idea of it," member Pete Punderson added.
