The Old Havana Restaurant at 349 Centre St. requested support for a take-out license application, and the owners of 83-85 Brookside Ave. requested support for a new rooftop deck, at the Feb. 19 meeting of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council’s (JPNC) Zoning Committee.
According to Committee Chair David Baron, no one on the committee opposed the restaurant’s request for a take-out license, though a number of members said they would like the security gates removed and the building’s look made more inviting.
The restaurant owner and her agent were receptive to the suggestion, and they assured the Committee that they would work with the property owner, the owners of the former Tacos El Charro restaurant, and Hyde/Jackson Square Main Streets to see if the changes are possible.
The owner also said that she would be happy to place and maintain a trash receptacle near the City parklet—expected to return in the spring— to make sure her customers and others would have a convenient place to get rid of trash.
The builder and unit owner for the roof deck at 83-85 Brookside Ave. were proposing a very low-profile design with “cable rails” that would be barely visible from the street, Baron said. Access would be via a staircase coming up to a “head house” on top of the roof. The builder also gave assurances that the load-bearing specifications for the roof were “more than adequate,” Baron said, “even with substantial snowfall of the kind we have now”.
The Committee’s vote was 8-0 with one abstention to recommend approval on both matters.