Government

Glass Greenhouse once again seeks to create onsite bistro

The owners of the Glass Greenhouse are again seeking a special permit to create a bistro inside The Farm Market, their building on Main Road in Jamesport. 

They are in litigation with Riverhead Town, which claims the business is  “operating in a manner which exceeds the Town Code definition of a farm stand,” planning aide Greg Bergman noted at last Thursday’s Town Board work session.

The Town Board should take the litigation into consideration and weigh its significance when determining if granting a special permit would exacerbate the farm stand use that is the subject of the litigation, or whether the proposed bistro ameliorates the problem, Mr. Bergman said.  

The site is in the Rural Corridor zoning district. A September 2016 site visit by the town planning department found that a large number of goods sold there were not produced on site or even in the region. The town’s definition of a farm stand requires that 60 percent of agricultural products sold there have to be grown on site.

Ms. Jens-Smith said she wanted to be clear on how that would be addressed. The application calls for a 15-seat bistro inside the existing building that would offer deli fare — homemade soups, salads and sandwiches that can also be for takeout. There would be no table service and alcohol would not be served, owner Walter Gabrielsen said. 

“It’s more family-oriented,” Mr. Gabrielsen said. 

The addition of a bistro would not create a significant increase in traffic or have an adverse effect on the safety or characteristic of the surrounding neighborhood, according to a planning department report. 

[email protected]