Prospective restaurant owner and Building Inspector at odds
Published on July 30th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - In the words of aspiring local restaurateur Mark Ringenwald, "it's every person's dream to own their own business", but his dream of a family eatery were dashed in Stoneham and he had one message for those he feels are responsible:
"Thanks for nothing."
That phrase is scrawled in the whited-out windows at the again-vacant 362 Main Street, the former home of the Blue Parrot Cafe and Loey's Place.
"Nobody in the Building Department wanted to help," said Ringenwald, who estimated that he has spent $35,000-40,000 in costs since he took over the property in April. "It seems like nobody wants me there."
"Nobody wants to call my contractor or my surveyor back," added Ringenwald.
Ringenwald had been looking into the property at 362 Main Street beginning in March, and purchased a lease for the business in April.
The new owner planned on renovating the old diner, knocking down the dividing wall, and combining it with the 625 square foot old taxi office next door. The renovated building was set to seat 40-50 people, be completely handicapped accessible, and house a family breakfast-and-lunch spot called Leo's Place.
"When people would see me taking out some of the equipment and cleaning up the place, they would stop and tell me how much they wanted a new place to eat in the area," said Ringenwald. "I look up and down Main Street at all the vacant businesses, and I'm starting to understand why."
Building Inspector Gene Argiro expressed his sympathies with Ringenwald's plight, but opined that Ringenwald simply wasn't well-prepared to build his dream restaurant.
"I would have liked to have seen a restaurant down there too," said Argiro. "It was a pretty ambitious plan, and I would have like to have seen how it came out."
"I think it just came down to the fact he (Ringenwald) didn't want to jump through all the hoops he had to go through," added Argiro. "Isn't that special when somebody wants to blame the Building Department when they don't have their ducks in a row?"
According to Argiro, he advised Ringenwald that he needed a special permit from the Planning Board for the additional five parking spaces required, and he needed approval from the Board of Selectmen for the renovations.
Ringenwald hired a contractor, Stephen Middleton of Saugus, to perform the design and building work, and began the schematic work to make the restaurant a reality.
"He (the Building Inspector) asked for an architectural draft to show where the equipment was going to be, a seating plan and stuff like that," said Ringenwald. "I got that to him at the end of April, within a week of the request."
According to Middleton, there wasn't a great deal of rhyme or reason to the paperwork and procedure involving 362 Main Street.
"The Town did not file their paperwork in normal accordance, I applied in person three times for permits, and they said they would look at them," said Middleton. "They kind of passed it off to the side and played games."
Ringenwald then chronicled a series of requests by the Building Department that had him bouncing around to have a fire system installed, attain fire department approval, and craft a site plan.
"I hired a surveyor to craft the site plan, which was finished around June 9, and the contractor wanted to have Argiro look at the site plan before submitting it to the town," said Ringenwald. "My surveyor has not heard back from him once about that site plan, and he called him several times."
Argiro recalls meeting with Ringenwald's engineer on several occasions.
"He came in a couple of times, we talked about what he needed, and the last time he was here he asked me to write it down for him," said Argiro. "And I did."
According to Argiro, Ringenwald needed to schedule a Planning Board hearing for a special permit before he could acquire a demolition permit to begin his dream.
"What's the point?" said Argiro. "It's a week's work, and the place is going sit there gutted for months until you get all the permits."
"He asked me for a laundry list for the special permit, and how many parking spaces he needed," said Argiro of a June 2 letter sent to Middleton that highlighted the special permit requirements. "I was working with his engineer to help him, and told him he needed a little code work so the Planning Board could decipher the plans."
"I know there's a sign on the front that says 'thanks for nothing' or some foolish thing," said Argiro. "We really are trying to help people, but they have to make sure all their i's are dotted and their t's are crossed...so they don't get rejected on a technicality."
According to Ringenwald, he was told he needed a special permit for parking, and made two separate dates to meet with the Planning Board.
"I came down with everything, and the woman (Catherine DelloRusso) said she was going to write it up, talk with the Board to make a date, and get in touch with me," said Ringenwald of the June 23 conversation. "In six weeks, she never called me back."
According to Planning Board Clerk Cathy DelloRusso, the Board had every intention of scheduling Ringenwald, but didn't because they needed the architectural plans with the seating arrangement--the very same seating plans that Ringenwald claimed five copies of were wasting away in the Building Department files.
"The last I spoke with him was to tell him that if he had all his documents in by July 23, we would schedule him for the August 14 Planning Board meeting," said DelloRusso, who added that it wasn't the Planning Board's task to track down an applicant's plans. "The next thing I heard, his lawyer was withdrawing the plans."
Ringenwold's first concern wasn't about recouping the lost money, but instead on continuing the search for his restaurant.
"I'm in negotiations to buy a place in Wakefield," said Ringenwald, who is following in his mother and grandfather's footsteps as restaurant owners. "That's what I'm concentrating on right now."
"I probably wouldn't do it (business in Stoneham) again", said Ringenwald. "It's one of those situations where you get a bad taste, and you don't want to go back."
Argiro had his own opinions as to Ringenwald's reasons for pulling out of the Main Street, which he did last Monday.
"He may have bit off more than he could chew...money-wise or whatever...I don't know, and then he said the 'heck with it," said Argiro. "He pulled out and now he blames us...I don't think it's fair, but it happens."
Argiro scoffed at Ringenwold's assertions that his difficulties arose from town or individual interests in the property.
"I have no idea where he got that idea," said Argiro. "It makes no difference to us... sounds like sour grapes to me."
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