The former Quay restaurant along Ocean Avenue was damaged by superstorm Sandy in 2012. It will be demolished and a banquet hall providing small venue for events with views of the Shrewsbury River and the Atlantic Ocean on the first floor and three residential apartments on the second floor will be constructed in its place. KATHY CHANG/STAFF SEA BRIGHT — After almost three hours of discussion, an application for a banquet hall with three residential apartments on the upper floor was approved by the Planning/ Zoning Board at the former location of The Quay restaurant along Ocean Avenue.
George Smith, owner and principal of the applicant, 280 Ocean Avenue LLC, testified at the board meeting on Sept. 8, that he has already renovated two existing residential unit buildings that are also on the site.
Smith said he would demolish the former Quay building and construct a banquet hall providing a small venue for events with views of the Shrewsbury River and the Atlantic Ocean on the first floor and three residential apartments on the second floor.
The site also has an existing marina, which will remain in use.
The property is in the R-1 single- family residential zone; however, it has been home to mixed uses and the restaurant/banquet hall is a pre-existing nonconforming use, according to the applicant.
Allison Coffin, professional planner for the applicant, said the proposal for a banquet hall and residential units provides a less intense use than the former restaurant.
The applicant said the banquet hours will be from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. and the banquet hall warming kitchen is expected to be busy mostly between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., but on occasion the hall could hold a party from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
John Rea, traffic engineer for the applicant, told the board he does not see any additional traffic impact from the site.
He said 250 hours of traffic data were collected in 2014 from July 20 to July 31, which showed that the highest traffic peak occurred between 4 and 5 p.m. on weekdays — 1,400 vehicles — as well as Saturday — 1,200 vehicles.
“Even if there is an afternoon event, which would be a rare occurrence, this is a less intense proposal than a restaurant use and the site will have adequate capacity,” said Rea, adding that demand for parking at the site would decrease after the highest traffic peak time.
Neighbors of the property said the applicant has to take into consideration that the borough had a more successful beach season this year than last year and there was much more traffic, with new businesses opening up and beach clubs coming back after superstorm Sandy in 2012.
The proposal includes 83 parking spots with nine additional spaces if valet/stack parking is warranted. There are 15 spaces allocated for the marina; however, the applicant said the hours would differ between the uses of the marina and the banquet hall.
Of the 83 parking spaces, 11 are ground floor parking spaces. Those spaces are assigned to residents and employees, according to Brian Murphy, the applicant’s engineer.
Smith noted that the parking spaces would not be allowed for beachgoers during the summer season or any other vehicle that is not supposed to be parked on the site. Violators will be towed away, he said.
The application was approved with stipulations, which include closing banquet hall doors at 9 p.m. and ending music at the entire venue by 11 p.m. Another stipulation is that there would be no outdoor entertainment or outside seating areas.
Smith said an added buffer for any noise issues is the tenants who will move into the residential units above the banquet hall.
“I will get the first call if any issue occurs,” he said.
Rick Brodsky, attorney for the applicant, testified that the applicant agreed to lower the proposed 46-foot-high, two-story building by one foot and replace the proposed open retractable glass walls of the banquet hall with enclosed hurricane-proof stationary glass. The only opening of the glass would be where the balconies are located. Smith noted that the balconies are not designed for a large number of people to congregate.
Smith said the idea of the retractable glass walls was for event-goers to enjoy the view as well as the breeze.
Board member Robert Nott said he loved the concept of the retractable glass walls; however, he said the applicant must be cognizant of the neighbors in the area.
Vice Chairman David Desio noted the site is located in a residential zone where everyone has the right to live comfortably.
Neighbors of the property said they are pleased with the stipulations and changes that the applicant has made to address their concerns. However, they disputed the argument that the banquet hall use would be less intense.
“[The restaurant] has been closed for over 10 years,” said Catharine Smith, adding that the area is a different neighborhood from what it was a decade ago. “Properties have been upgraded, and we want to keep them that way.”
The building will have a stone and stucco façade. The second story residential units will include two three-bedroom units and one two-bedroom unit.
The Quay restaurant, which had been vacant for years, was bought by Smith in 2011. The building sustained damage during superstorm Sandy in 2012.