A Mexican restaurant slated for the Stone Bank development in Tisbury was approved by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission Thursday evening.
Previously used for drive-through banking, the 16 Union St. property will be converted to accommodate an outdoor bar and dining area with a 70-seat capacity on a wooden deck that will replace the development’s community lawn.
Food will be served at a takeout window attached to a 650-square-foot indoor kitchen, and the restaurant won’t employ a waitstaff.
The proposal of the project was submitted to the commission last year by Sam Dunn, who said seasonal resident Patrick Lyons, who owns Back Door Donuts in Oak Bluffs, will be the new restaurant’s proprietor.
The restaurant was first proposed as a fast food establishment, because it would not be “a full-service restaurant.” Project representatives have since revised that concept.
The amount of waste expected to be generated, and the amount of dining and cooking material to be washed and reused, differs from a traditional fast food restaurant, the updated application states.
Dunn originally pitched a mixed-use condo project for the area, which the commission approved in 2021.
That project called for the construction of five new buildings, and the renovation of two existing buildings, for residential and commercial use.
Its approval was contingent on an understanding that any potential changes to the site would need to be reviewed by the MVC.
The taqueria comes to the commission as a modification to that original project.
At previous public hearings on the taqueria, Dunn highlighted the need and demand for a new establishment in Tisbury, and said it would help to retain Island visitors who otherwise might have opted to spend money in another town. He had said that the upcoming restaurant would be a “game-changer” for Tisbury.
Since first coming under developments of regional impact (DRI) review by the MVC, commissioners have raised concerns, mostly about the impacts on property abutters and the environment.
Project representatives attempted to quell some of those concerns, saying most dining materials would be biodegradable, adhering to the environmental impact minimization plan presented to the commission late last year.
Dunn assured the commission that the new restaurant will make an effort to use locally sourced ingredients. And responding to concerns from abutters, he promised to try to mitigate “wandering” patrons by installing fencing.
Thursday’s deliberation focused heavily on coming up with possible conditions for the project, when commissioners questioned the commission’s scope of regulatory authority.
Commissioner Fred Hancock said the MVC’s Land Use Planning subcommittee didn’t vote to recommend approval or denial of the project to the full commission at their last meeting, noting that “there are a lot of elements to this proposal that are really under the purview of the town.”
Conditions considered that were later removed from the decision included an “odor control plan” to be reviewed by the Land Use Planning subcommittee, regulations on outdoor sound amplification, restrictions that prohibit consuming alcohol off the premises, and a restaurant closing time of 9:30 pm.
Commissioners generally agreed that a handful of the proposed conditions are not enforceable by the MVC.
Commissioner Brian Smith said that consuming alcoholic beverages off the premises is already covered by a town bylaw.
The Tisbury select board is tasked with reviewing all alcohol licenses annually, commissioner Ben Robinson said; if any issues come up with the establishment regarding alcohol, Tisbury would be charged with taking necessary action.
Robinson, elected to the MVC to represent Tisbury, also noted various municipal events that involve amplified music around the town. He said he “wouldn’t want to limit that ability to happen” at the new restaurant.
Commissioner Brian Smith agreed. “We have six very diverse towns out here that should be able to create their own identities,” he said. “The MVC doesn’t need to be the fun police. Let’s leave it up to the towns.”
Commissioners ultimately decided to approve the project, with remaining conditions, in a 7-3 vote; commissioners Jay Grossman, Trip Barnes, Ernie Thomas, Brian Smith, Ben Robinson, Fred Hancock, and Joan Malkin in favor, and commissioners Kate Putnam, Jeff Agnoli, and Peter Wharton opposing.