A colorful neon, flashing sign that was created to illuminate Lucharitos, a taqueria and tequila bar at 119 Main Street in downtown Greenport, has been the source of simmering controversy in recent months — and has been shut off in deference to the village zoning board of appeals, which asked for the sign to be turned off until a decision was made.
But now business owner Marc LaMaina is speaking out and questioning why the decision about whether or not the sign will be allowed has been put on hold for an indeterminate length of time.
LaMaina said he shut off his sign because he was asked by the ZBA to do so until they reached their decision. “I agreed to that request. I’m not here to make waves. My family dates back to 1885 in this village. I am not some Manhattan transplant with a get rich quick scheme. But it has gotten to the point where I just feel totally disrespected by the way certain neighbors have treated me, by the way the village asks me to turn the lights of my sign off until the next meeting in a month — then cancels the meeting two days before due to ‘vacations’. It’s my belief something is going on here and it’s not the regular path one should have to deal with when dealing with his/her local government.”
LaMaina said he was told the next ZBA meeting would take place in April, and he was asked to keep his sign off until then.
“If I agree with that request has yet to be determined. I represent the small business owner that still mops his own floor at night. That buys the team breakfast after a busy dinner service. I support every charity and organization that walks through our doors. I am at my wit’s end dealing with this nonsense. I am definitely at a breaking point.”
Earlier in March, the Greenport Historic Preservation Commission met to discuss the sign, after the Greenport zoning board of appeals held a public hearing on the matter last month. The sign, the ZBA said, was erected without a required permit and in violation of village code.
At the HPC meeting, Chairman Frank Uellendahl said the ZBA had been unable to make a decision about the sign, which hangs above the entry door.
The issue, Uellendahl said, is that the sign is illuminated, against the village’s zoning code.
LaMaina was asked to turn off the sign until approval was granted by the HPC and the ZBA. The HPC can approve the sign itself, but only the ZBA can approve the lights.
At the HPC meeting, LaMaina explained the history of the sign. “We used to be a cupcake shop,” he said. “Then Hurricane Sandy came and we needed to make more money, because I had a newborn son.”
That’s when, he said, the idea for Lucharitos gained traction.
Members of the HPC said they had no objection to the signage itself, which they said worked well with the colors of the building.
“Without discussing anything about the lighting, I love the sign,” said HPC member Dennis McMahon, adding that the sign was recessed and not hanging over the sidewalk.
HPC member Roselle Borrelli said she has a problem with the lights on the sign. “Given that it’s called Lucharitos, you turn those lights on, and to me, it’s like one step away from cockfighting or pit bulls.”
“There are definitely no cockfights going on the back, yet,” LaMaina said, laughing. He added that the name of his business meant “little fighter,” and was in honor of his son, who was a newborn at the time the business opened.
The HPC approved the signage, as is, for Lucharitos — sending the matter back to the ZBA for a determination on the lighting issue.
At a ZBA public hearing held in February to discuss an area variance for LaMaina’s illuminated, flashing sign, business owner Bill Claudio had an issue not with the fact that the sign was illuminated, but that it was a flashing sign.
LaMaina said he was one of the few businesses open all year in the village and the sign helped to direct guests to his establishment.
Claudio said he understood LaMaina was trying to do what all village businesses were aiming to do, attract business. “We’ve often thought about doing the same thing. . . And every time I thought about that and every time we discussed it, what came to mind was Las Vegas.”
Of the sign, he said, “I personally do not have a strenuously strong opposition to the idea. However, I believe that once the door is open, the door cannot be closed, and there’ll be others coming along behind that want to do the same thing.”
Claudio said the village commercial district pays for almost 40 percent of the elctric plant and approximately 20 percent of the water usage. “So it is paying significant amounts of money into the coffers of the village to keep it operating. I just want the board to consider that there may be other ways to do this so that we can maintain the wonderful character of Greenport and another way to get people in here.”
ZBA Chairman Doug Moore pointed out that Claudio’s sign, grandfathered in, was illuminated with neon.
Moore also read a letter in protest from resident Amy Martin, a member of the HPC, who said the “quality and appeal of the Historic District are at stake. There is no room for such precedent to be set. If allowed, there will be continued one-upsmanship of lighted signs and we will look no better than Riverhead in our lack of aesthetic appeal. As another consideration, if any further needs be added, is that many of the businesses rely on upstairs living areas to survive, and those residents should not be subjected to this type of signage. The sign at the fire department is a terrible example of what should not be allowed within our village or even town limit.”
The ZBA closed the public hearing in February, and LaMaina is still waiting for the board’s decision.
“As one of the few businesses that remain open all year in this village we, and those like us, should be applauded for our commitment to this Village. Not tripped up and spun around at every opportunity,” LaMaina said.
