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09/05/2018 09:30 AMCould the town center finally get another full-service restaurant? That possibility is looking more likely, now that the Zoning Commission has received an application proposing that use for the former Military Historians Museum site at 24 Westbrook Place.
Unlike other sites in the town center, preliminary tests of this parcel suggest it has the capacity to support a restaurant. Restaurants are heavy water-users and a site proposed for one must have adequate septic system capacity to support the use.
The Zoning Commission will open a public hearing on the restaurant operator’s application for a special permit at its September meeting currently scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 25. Attorney Ed Cassella is the agent for the applicant. The applicant may also need to seek relief from some zoning rules by going before the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). The next ZBA meeting will be on Wednesday, Sept. 26.
The Military Historians Museum was closed in 2017 and its contents sold and removed from the site in the spring 2017. As a result, the building is currently vacant.
Tax Collector Kim Bratz also confirmed, however, that as of Aug. 29, the $14,716.13 in back taxes owed by the property owners has not yet been paid. The town placed a tax lien on the property at 24 Westbrook Place to ensure the town receives that revenue. By town ordinance, no zoning or similar permits can be issued for a property on which back taxes are owed, so the tax situation would need to be resolved before zoning can issue permits.