MILTON – A new restaurant at
Milton Marketplace is back up for consideration with some minor changes that the owner hopes will persuade both the planning board and neighborhood.
The
revised plans for the elevated Mediterranean concept by restaurateur Vance Welch, named Marbella, call for fewer seats at the bar, an earlier closing time and a breakfast menu.
Michael and Mark Mignosa, owners of the marketplace at 10 Bassett St.,
had withdrawn the proposal in October after planning board members shared concerns about sounds and smells potentially emanating from the restaurant. The site was previously occupied by
The Plate.
Michael Mignosa and attorney Michael Modestino shared during Monday’s planning board meeting that the restaurant would use
AirMaid systems to control odor and grease in the kitchen and that the closing time would be 10 p.m., with the final dinner seating at 8 p.m.
The bar would have the same dimensions but with 16 seats, eight fewer than previously proposed. Those lost bar seats would be converted to tables and the restaurant would still have the capacity to seat 99 customers.
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Some members of the public were still worried about the bar and if that would bring late-night drinkers or rowdy sports fans to the area.
“Alcohol isn’t a good mix in a residential neighborhood. I find it totally unfair,” said neighbor Mary Ranton. “I don’t see how we could possibly benefit from any of this.”
But some marketplace tenants say they want the space to be filled, and quickly, to help drive foot traffic into their stores.
“I think the health of the second floor (of the marketplace) really needs to be put into consideration,” said Lindsay Tia Reilly, who owns
The Cue clothing store. “I think we need a restaurant like this. We need it to be lively and booming.”
The planning board is charged with decisions surrounding a limited amount of issues, like hours of operation, security, site lighting, noise, odor and deliveries. The members took time to discuss how their jurisdiction compares to that of the zoning board, which will meet to discuss the proposal on Feb. 3, and how the two boards can work in tandem.
The discussion was continued to Jan. 23.