Thomas MacMillan Photo
838 Whalley.
With approval from city zoners, Delaney’s owner Peter Gremse can get cracking on a new wood-fired pizza oven for Westville.
Gremse was one of two restaurateurs to win zoning permissions Tuesday night from the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA).
The owner of the successful Delaney’s bar and restaurant in Westville can now move forward with plans to open a second operation just a block away, at 838 Whalley Ave.
The new joint will be a family-oriented, “open-kitchen concept” place serving up wood-fired pizza from an open hearth. At last month’s BZA meeting, Gremse said he’s tentatively calling the restaurant “Parkside” because it fronts on Edgewood Park.
Zoners also approved a request from another pizzeria across town. The green light will allow State Street’s Press lounge to reconfigure itself as a full-scale restaurant.
Both operations sought relief from city parking requirements. Gremse asked to have nine spaces where 34 are required. Press sought zero spaces where 10 would be required. The board granted both requests.
However, the zoners imposed conditions of approval requiring the restaurants to close by 11:30 p.m. and not to have live entertainment.
“I think it’s the perfect use for a long-vacant property,” BZA member Ben Trachten said before the vote on 838 Whalley Ave. The space has been empty since it was built more than five years ago.
This is great. Parking minimums should be eliminated citywide, as many other cities have done. They are a big disincentive to job creation and economic development.
Had parking minimums not existed, this space would have been filled 5 years ago.