Plans to Turn Church Into Eatery Unveiled

The new owner of the stone church on route 6 in Mohegan Lake has plans to convert the historic structure into a restaurant.

Representatives for Cortlandt resident Michael Palmietto, who bought the structure within the past year from Jack and Evelyn Nathan, unveiled a blueprint that would turn the once thriving church into an upscale establishment.

They appeared last Wednesday night before the Yorktown Town Board to gauge officials' reaction toward their plan to encroach on wetlands for parking and ingress and egress.

The church, on roughly three-quarters of an acre parcel, would need close to another half acre for paving either in controlled areas or on actual wetlands to provide the necessary 53 parking spaces, according to attorney Al Capellini.

There are approximately 15 acres of wetlands near the site, which is on the south side of Route 6 near the corner of East Main Street.

Project architect Anthony Romano said while the wetlands incursion is not insignificant, the project would save a potential landmark from near-certain dilapidation.

"I would ask the board to consider that we have a lot of wetlands in town but we only have one of these," Romano said of the 80-plus year old church.

Capellini said the developer has put forth two separate plans for access and parking. One possibility is to clear a strip of land on the Route 6 side of the property and for that path to allow for an entrance and exit on East Main Street.

The other forces access to and from the property onto Route 6 with a square parking lot.

Initially, the plan received mixed reaction from the board last week.

While most members would like to see the church, which is eligible for landmark status saved from deterioration, convincing more environmentally-minded interests could be a problem.

Supervisor Linda Cooper told Capellini and Romano to explore other possibilities that would preserve the project but limit the negative impact. Her comments highlighted the dilemma that some town officials face.

"Go back and work with the Planning Board and Conservation Board to work out a better idea plus to address the issues of ingress, egress, parking and wetlands protection," said Cooper.

"We'd like to see a nice restaurant there," she added. "It's a gateway."

Aside from the wetlands question, there is also the concern of the pending moratorium and the traffic congestion that has plagued that stretch.

Traffic during peak hours already is backed up heading to Lexington Avenue and there is a Charlie Brown's Restaurant and a CVS store being built near Mohegan Avenue.

Councilman Floyd Braun said he was reluctant to go ahead with another plan with so many unknowns.

"I would say I have some very grave concerns about this project," said Braun. "I find it difficult to entertain the idea."

On the other hand, Councilman James Martorano said he believes it is an outstanding idea if the developer can get a couple of key obstacles resolved.

"To me it's a perfect location for the restaurant if we can overcome the issues with the parking," he said.

The church, which has been abandoned since 1983, is in good condition, according to Capellini.

A new floor would have to be installed along with some other alterations but the structure itself is sound, he said.

It is not known what kind of restaurant Palmietto would like to open but it is more than likely to be a fancier "upscale establishment.”

Although Cooper has open to future discussions, she also informed Capellini and Romano the area is in the heart of the zone covered by the Sustainable Development Study.

Cooper said with the moratorium discussions soon to get underway, there is no guarantee Palmietto's intended use of the old church would still be what the town wants following completion of the study.

Source: Martin Wilbur, North County News, September 19 - 25, 2001, p. 18