A scaled-back version of a proposed Southern Italian restaurant at the historic Chester Bulkley House in Old Wethersfield is set to face the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday night, months after a previous version of the project was unanimously rejected.
The commission is scheduled to take up the application at its 7 p.m. meeting in the Town Council Chambers.
The application — submitted by 3E Property Management LLC, controlled by Erigels Kroi — seeks a special permit to convert the bed-and-breakfast at 184 Main St. into a restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining.
The upscale, business-casual dining establishment, called Ortigia Ristorante, would feature a menu focused on seafood and seasonal imported ingredients.
The commission voted 9-0 in January to deny a prior version of the proposal, with parking as a chief concern. The revised application attempts to address those objections.
The applicant has reduced the restaurant’s seating capacity to 99 patrons — one-third less than the earlier plan — and created a multi-site parking strategy based on three separate off-site agreements.
Outdoor dining would be confined to a northside patio facing Main Street, capped at 30 seats, with no outdoor music or amplified sound permitted, according to the project application.
The restaurant would operate Monday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and would seek a liquor permit. The owners expect the restaurant to employ about 20 people.
Under the revised plan, 30 parking spaces would be available at the Keeney Memorial Cultural Center next door and 20 at a private lot at 1 Wells Road under a 10-year lease. The Wells Road lot sits roughly a half-mile from the restaurant.
The applicant has proposed up to 12 staff parking spaces on a leased area of 383 Silas Deane Highway. Employees would clock in and out via geo-fencing software and take a shuttle from the parking lot to the restaurant.
Despite the revisions, the application faces pushback from town staff and neighbors. In a May 4 memo, the town’s civil engineer, Lawrence Capuano, and Town Engineer Derrick Gregor flagged several issues with the parking plan, including insufficient parking for staff.
The town’s fire marshal raised separate concerns, noting that the change of use would require the building to be retrofitted with a full commercial sprinkler system, replacing the existing residential system. The fire marshal also flagged that the second floor has only a single approved exit, which would limit that floor’s occupancy to under 50 people.
Opposition from neighbors persists. Robert O’Connor, whose home at 180 Main St. abuts the property, wrote to Town Planner David Elder in April raising procedural concerns about the Historic District Commission’s March approval of modifications related to the site, arguing the HDC was incorrectly told the zoning board’s prior denial was merely a suggestion for modifications.
Also, residents on Broad Street submitted a letter opposing the proposal, arguing the restaurant is incompatible with Old Wethersfield’s residential character and expressing opposition to converting any portion of the Keeney Memorial grounds — including a basketball court — into parking to benefit a private business.
The property was purchased by 3E Main LLC in May 2024 for $665,000.
Elder noted in his April 29 memo that commission materials still were being submitted, and that municipal departments were still actively evaluating documents. The commission can approve, deny or modify the application following the public hearing.
