A proposed plan to open the restaurant to the public at The Blue Inn in East Marion had residents crying out in protest for the second time Monday night before the Southold Town planning board.
The Blue Inn’s proposed amended site plan is to expand a current 1,070 square foot restaurant use to include being open to the public. Also on site are an existing motel and inn on 1.37 acres in the resort residential (RR) zoning district. The property is located at 7850 NYS Route 25, 7850 NYS Route 25, in East Marion.
Planning board Chair Donald Wilcenski reminded that the public hearing had been held open for those who had been unable to make last month’s hearing.
One by one, neighbors stood at the podium and spoke out against the plan.
“We are sure that you recognize that East Marion is a small hamlet that experiences explosive traffic growth in the summer, particularly close to the location of The Blue Inn,” said Anne Murray, vice president of the East Marion Community Association. “Just this past weekend saw a dangerous increase at the intersection of Rocky Point Road and Route 25. The volume and resultant snarl exposed the inadequacy of this area to safely mitigate the amount of traffic that was on full display.”
Over the weekend, Murray said hundreds of cars and some buses parked “illegally” on Main Road and Rocky Point Road, with “visitors headed to Lavender by the Bay. This caused traffic problems and hazardous conditions for residents, visitors and any pedestrians who tried to cross the road, as well as cars attempting to get in and out of the hamlet’s side roads and driveways. With overtaxed police on duty in other parts of town, there was no traffic control or enforcement of parking rules.”
Murray added that while “EMCA fully understands the right of The Blue Inn to operate a business in East Marion. . . we feel you must weigh what will happen should more traffic, which may include buses, is allowed to queue up to enter the Blue Inn from the Main Road.”
Robin Imandt, president of the East Marion Community Association, echoed Murray’s concerns, and said she was “totally against” outdoor music that would destroy the quality of life in the residential community.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for that area,” she said, of the proposal. “Unfettered growth is just wrong for our community. This is something you might find in Greenport. We don’t even have a business district.”
Other residents expressed fears that someone would get hurt, with cars turning quickly onto Main Road after drivers had been drinking.
East Marion resident Joseph Zizzo said his opposition to the plan had nothing to do with Samuel Glass, owner of the Blue Inn. “It’s the site,” he said. “This site has always been a problem.”
The location, he said, has poor access and egress and said the outdoor bar would resemble a tiki bar. “Frozen margaritas, woo-hoo,” he said. “I like to go out and have a drink as much as everyone else but this particular place is just the wrong fit. When people are dining and drinking outdoors, they are louder than inside. It’s just human nature.”
Other eateries in the area, he said, have large parcels, adequate parking, and are not in the middle of a residential community.
“The saying is, if you build it, they will come. We’re getting them in droves now. East Marion will be irrevocably changed should this restaurant be allowed to be resuscitated,” he said.
East Marion resident John Kent said he worried what could happen in the event of an emergency. “How are you going to get a firetruck through East Marion when you have heavy traffic? It is unthinkable to increase traffic in this dangerous situation.”
At a public hearing held at last month’s Southold Town planning board meeting, Glass, a managing member of the Blue Inn, or 7850 Main Road LLC, said an application for a special exception to Southold’s zoning board of appeals had been approved subject to the planning board’s approval on parking issues.
Glass said he has been operating The Blue Inn for four years; prior to that time, the establishment was shuttered for a period. The business, he said, has been operating on the site for more than 60 years.
Before a former owner closed his business, residents railed against loud parties and music at the establishment.
“In order for us to continue as a restaurant we need the public to come, because the amount of guests we have does not allow us to continue,” Glass said.
As it stands currently, only guests of the inn or their relatives can eat at the restaurant due to its “ancillary” use.
Discussing parking issues, Glass said presently, there are 29 spots for guests at the inn and additional parking on the grass would give them an additional 12 to 14 spaces. If, as the ZBA suggested, valet parking were utilized, an additional 26 spots would be available.
“We’re just asking that you grant us this application because I believe it’s in the best interest of Southold, having people come out and be able to shop, visit the brewery and other businesses,” Glass said.
Wilcenski said Glass, who was not present, would not be asked to speak at Monday’s second public hearing. After the hearing, Southold Town Planning Director Heather Lanza said, “Typically, the chairman invites the applicant to speak first at public hearings to state their case to the board. The chairman did open the hearing with the statement that he wouldn’t be having Mr. Glass come up and re-state what he already stated at the last hearing (to save time), and the way he worded it may have sounded like he wouldn’t be allowed to speak, but that wasn’t the intent. Typically, at a public hearing, the applicant is invited to speak first to make their case to the planning board. Because this was a hearing held open previously and because the circumstances of the application have not changed, there was no need to do so at this hearing, so the planning board chairman’s intent was to begin with other testimony from the public instead. Had Mr. Glass been there and indicated he wanted to speak he would have been able to do so.”
Imandt, who lives diagonally across the street, said she had concerns about how cars would enter and exit the restaurant — on Old Orchard Lane, a quiet residential street, or on Main Road.
Murray agreed, stating that Old Orchard Lane is very narrow and if cars are exiting onto that road, it could be “a very big problem for East Marion.”
The hearing was closed, and Wilcenski said all questions would be answered as the planning board continued its analysis.
