The Nauvoo Grill, on Fair Haven Road, would save on parking fees if its request for outdoor dining is approved. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
Fair Haven’s borough council this week waived $25,000 in fees that might have been charged to the owner of three prominent properties in town.
The reason, according to Mayor Mike Halfacre: “It’s sort of being a good neighbor type of thing.”
Richard Bahadurian, who owns properties that are home to Nauvoo Grill, Fairwinds Deli and Raven and the Peach, has applications pending before the planning board to add outdoor dining at Nauvoo and create additional office space at the Raven and the Peach.
Bahadurian has “been generous” to the public with his parking lots, Halfacre said, allowing visitors to borough hall and the Viola L. Sickles school to use them for high-turnout events. So the council absolved him from having to pay into the borough parking fund to if his plans are greenlighted by the board.
Though he’s not expanding the footprint of Nauvoo, Bahadurian plans to add outside dining seats, which by ordinance requires more eight more parking spaces, say Halfacre.
At the Raven and the Peach, the plan is to expand about 400 square-feet of existing office space at the back end of the building, an addition that will go virtually unnoticed by the public, but would create the need for two more parking spots.
Without the council’s intervention, Bahadurian would have had to pay at a rate of $2,500 for each space by which his properties are determined to be deficient.
Bahadurian couldn’t be reached for comment.
Bahadurian still has to go through the planning board to gain the necessary approvals for the two properties, Halfacre said.
“Neither of them are a done deal yet,” he said. “He came to us to talk parking before he went to the planning board for all his approvals.”
Bahadurian also must formalize the shared-parking agreement with the borough in writing, according to the council’s resolution.
If approved, this would be the first foray into outside dining for the Nauvoo Grill, Halfacre said.
Here’s the resolution: resolution-2010-61
