The Jedediah Hawkins Inn got a reprieve from the Riverhead Zoning Board of Appeals.
The ZBA tonight granted the inn a temporary variance, good through Nov. 30, 2016, which allows it to continue to have outdoor events on its South Jamesport Avenue site, subject to several conditions.
One of those conditions is a requirement that 400 Restoration Realty, which owns the Jedediah Hawkins House, apply to the town board by Dec. 1 of this year for a change in town code to clarify the code’s language pertaining to outdoor catered events as “a customary and incidental accessory use to a Country Inn.”
The temporary variance also limits outdoor events to three per month and no more than one per day. The events may start no earlier than 12 noon and end no later than 9:30 p.m. Events may not be held on weekdays during the school year. Jedediah Hawkins must provide sufficient on-site parking for all events as well. The inn must post on its website the name and contact number of a catering manager for all events, according to the variance.
Angela DeVito, president of the Jamesport-South Jamesport Civic Association, which has opposed outdoor events at Jedediah Hawkins — an activity that has drawn an outcry from residents in the area — said she thought the Zoning Board of Appeals “made the best decision they could in the situation.” Its decision, she said, puts the issue back into the appropriate arena, the Riverhead Town Board.
The ZBA voted 4-1 tonight to grant the temporary variance. Frank Seabrook cast the sole no vote.
The inn — which cost about $2 million to restore — only has 55 seats indoors and told officials that it needs outdoor events to stay afloat.
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