LYNN — A restaurant firm with establishments in West Newton, South Boston and Reading wants to open an 80-seat eatery on Lewis Street where Mildred’s now operates by St. Patrick’s Day.
Neighborhood Restaurant Group will present its proposal, including plans to provide parking for about two dozen vehicles in a Blaisdell Terrace lot, to the Zoning Board of Appeals on Nov. 17.
Samuel Vitali, the firm’s Lynn attorney, described Neighborhood Restaurant Group as “a well-known and successful business group” and Ward 3 City Councilor Darren Cyr said a new restaurant at the corner of Lewis and Burrill Avenue will be a positive for the East Lynn neighborhood.
“I think a high-end restaurant down in that area is a good thing,” Cyr said.
Lifelong Lynn resident George Jackson lives and works along Lewis Street and he wonders if a restaurant on Lewis Street almost twice the size of Mildred’s could take business away from smaller businesses along Lewis Street.
“They all worked hard to get here,” Jackson said.
But Cyr said a new Lewis Street restaurant could provide added dining options for residents who frequent Monte’s, Christopher’s and other establishments and, ultimately, bring more business to those eateries.
Because it is a business site located in a residential area, the building now occupied by Mildred’s and a hairdresser requires a nonconforming use review by the ZBA for a business to locate there.
Vitali said Neighborhood Restaurant Group also needs permission to provide 23 parking spaces for customers in a lot at Lewis and Blaisdell Terrace owned by the proponent’s parent company.
“They have sought to provide the required parking with handicap parking behind the restaurant,” Vitali said.
The Blaisdell Terrace lot is across Lewis Street from the building where Mildred’s, a popular local breakfast spot, is located. Jackson said Lewis is a busy street posing dangers to pedestrians crossing it.
Vitali said the lot will be reserved for restaurant customers. He said the proposed restaurant will open around 11 a.m. and close at midnight, serving lunch and dinner.
“They will look to attract customers from the neighborhood,” Vitali said.
