Hungry for change
Mezza Notte to open longer, Mangia to re-build restaurant

GUILDERLAND — The Mezza Notte restaurant on Western Avenue may soon say “good evening” more often to patrons of this specialty Italian eatery.

The planning board here approved a site plan review to amend owner Connie Ware’s special-use permit to extend her operating hours and days of operation. The board also approved her request to serve food on the patio and increase the number of diners allowed in the second-floor dining room.

Mezza Notte previously did not serve on Sundays, or before 5 p.m. on Saturdays. With town approval, Ware hopes to open from 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays, and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. She also hopes to stay open until midnight on Fridays.

“No one is eating at midnight. They’re having after-dinner drinks,” board member Thomas Robert said about serving dinner on the patio.

“How are you going to keep the noise and light from the outside dining from the neighbors?” asked board member Lindsay Childs.

The board suggested that Ware stop serving on the patio earlier than midnight. The board also suggested that she use fencing and landscaping to contain the sound and light. The board recommended that Ware clarify the parking agreement with neighboring businesses. Nearby counselors have reported difficulty for their clients in finding parking because of the restaurant, the board said.

Ware’s request added 38 seats to her restaurant, for a total of 108 seats. She legally has access to 54 parking spaces.

Mangia

 Mangia Restaurant in Stuyvesant Plaza will be reinvented quickly and soon. Mark Burgasser, a vice-president of operations with White Management Corp., which owns Mangia, told the planning board that the building could be razed this spring, and resurrected and open for business this fall.

The reconstruction will turn the entrance on the diagonal to face into the plaza, according to Tom Andress of ABD Engineering. The new building would be 6,000 square feet, but would seat the same number as it does now. The restaurant, itself, will be different, Burgasser said. The name has not yet been determined, he said.

The changes will add one parking space to the plaza and increase the impervious area to 200,000 square feet in an area prone to flooding. Andress said that the proposed building will have an ecologically-green roof, a pervious patio, and engineered grass.

Don Reeb, of the McKownville Improvement Association, suggested that White Management install sidewalks on both sides of Western Avenue.

Board Chairman Stephen Feeney said that a detailed landscape plan should be shown, and that a curbed-end island directly in front of the building could calm plaza traffic.

Other business

In other business, the planning board:

— Approved a two-lot subdivision of 11 acres at 6030 Nott Road owned by Dilip and Anna Das, who want to build a home on two of the acres.

“It’s in the floodplain,” Feeney said earlier.

Robert said that an online map showed the building area to be out of the floodplain. He said that the ground level for the first-floor elevation would still need to be raised.

In a letter to the planning board, a resident asked Dases to consider granting an easement across the rear of their property to make the Nott Road Park more accessible for pedestrians.

“I’m pretty certain that would not present a problem…Not even remotely,” said the Dases’ attorney, Salvatore Rico, of the Proskin law firm.

Feeney and Childs both suggested that the park fee of $1,500 be waived if the easement is granted;

— Approved a site-plan review for a consignment shop in the Park Place plaza;

— Approved a site-plan review to amend a special-use permit for real-estate offices at 1826 Western Ave.  The second floor had been used as apartments, but will now be used as conference space;

— Tabled an application by Jeff Perlee for 1189 Berne-Altamont Road for a two-lot subdivision of 7.3 acres. No representative for the applicant appeared before the board, but nearby residents did.

One resident asked if a penalty could be imposed on Perlee for his failure to appear.

“There’s no penalty. It could be an accident or tragic situation,” Feeney said. “It’s rare that someone doesn’t come.”

“We’re already at step one. We can’t go back,” said town Planner Jan Weston.

The board suggested that the residents write letters to the board; and

—         Approved a review for Spa La Vi, a beauty salon that will move into Cosimo’s Plaza. The new site will be Spa La Vi’s second shop in Guilderland. The first shop is in Altamont.