The old home of Red Cat Kitchen may not be sitting empty for long.
The Oak Bluffs select board provided unanimous conditional approval for a seasonal, all-alcohol license for Menotomy, a restaurant that will be located at 14 Kennebec Ave., after a public hearing on Tuesday, April 23.
Although details of the proposed eatery are still minimal, representatives say it will be bistro-style, and is expected to seat just over 50 people. Also included will be four apartments.
Restaurant owner Gary Charles Jones, a Chilmark resident and Los Angeles record producer, said the name is based on the Battle of Menotomy, which took place during the Revolutionary War in what is now Arlington.
Menotomy is a project that was approved by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission in 2020. Jones — operating as GJ & BP Holdings LLC — purchased the property for $690,000. Former Oak Bluffs select board member Brian Packish was a partner in the transaction.
Board members noted the peculiarity of a liquor license being applied for prior to a business license being approved, pointing out that not much information — including a final name for the restaurant, managers, and business hours — was currently available. Attorney Geoghan Coogan, speaking on behalf of the applicant, told the board that the process would allow the business to submit an application to the state Alcohol Beverages Control Commission while other aspects of the application were buttoned up.
Coogan said the commission would likely come back with an answer by September if they waited for the business application to be approved, which would be after the summer season. The applicants hope to be open by summertime.
Board member Thomas Hallahan said while he was comfortable moving forward, despite the “highly unusual” process. He also told Jones that his “ducks need to be more in a row.” He added that he does not want this to set a precedent for future business applicants, or have the appearance of any special treatment.
“I wouldn’t want that perception out there at all,” he said.
Other board members agreed, pointing out that they were going through the process quickly in recognition of the short summer season, and that a new building was being built downtown. “There’s a lot of moving parts,” board member Emma Green-Beach said.
The applicants will need to return to the board with additional information for a final decision.
Another restaurant proposal before the board Tuesday was the Pawnee House’s plan for outdoor dining. However, board members expressed concerns over a hindrance to pedestrian traffic, and wanted to check on possible legal issues with town counsel before signing off. The board unanimously voted to conduct a site visit on May 7.
In other news, the board unanimously approved holding a special town meeting on Tuesday, June 25, at 7 pm at Oak Bluffs School. The town would need a quorum of just 50 people, according to Oak Bluffs town administrator Deborah Potter.
“This is solely and exclusively for the purpose of fixing the timing defect from two years ago,” Potter said.
The special town meeting would be for two borrowing warrant articles — $6.9 million to make East Chop Bluff more accessible, and $26 million to upgrade the town’s wastewater treatment facility — that were approved by voters during the 2022 annual town meeting, but missed having the vote approved by the Proposition 2½ override deadline of Sept. 15. It was instead approved during the state election in November. In turn, voters would need to approve the slightly modified versions of these past warrant articles so the town can move forward with the projects.
“The ballot vote stands on its own,” Potter said.
Meanwhile, the board unanimously approved a filming permit for the upcoming Netflix show “Forever.” Filming will take place on May 13, 15, 16, and 17 in the town, and the crew will pay $1,000 per day for the permit. According to board member Dion Alley, the last time Oak Bluffs gave a film permit was for the blockbuster hit “Jaws.”
The board did place some conditions on the approval, like receiving the final greenlight from other relevant town departments.
The board also voted 4-0 to transfer two town-owned properties, 9 Panola Ave. and 44 Oak Ave., to Habitat for Humanity. According to Oak Bluffs affordable housing committee member Katherine Donahue, Habitat for Humanity were the only ones who expressed interest, and they plan to put two two-bedroom homes on the lots.
Board member Mark Leonard, who currently chairs the affordable housing committee, abstained from voting. This was also his first meeting after being elected to the board.
Meanwhile, the board voted in Gail Barmakian as the new chair, and Dion Alley as the vice chair.
