New Shoreham board approves Virginica Pizza alcohol service with limited outdoor area, hours

The New Shoreham Board of License Commissioners on May 6, 2025 approved a beverage (BBL) license for Virginica Pizza, allowing the business at 125 Corn Neck to serve alcohol between 12:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. The board first voted 3–2 to consider the applicant’s out-of-time filing and then approved the license with conditions by a 4–1 vote.

The license will be limited to the north/northeast side of the entry sidewalk — the gravel and adjacent grassy area in front of the pizza building — and to interior service. The council included a stipulation that service not extend across the driveway or into parking areas and noted the area is, or will be, fenced on the permitted side.

Applicant Sadie Flaitman told the board she planned a menu of pizza and raw bar items that emphasize locally sourced seafood and produce. “Having the BBL license would be a huge benefit to our business, which ultimately benefits the community,” Flaitman said, adding she is working with local oyster farmers and island farms to source ingredients.

Council members who supported the license said the location historically held a beverage license and that reviving service at the site could help local employment and island-sourced suppliers. Council member Keith said traffic and containment of outdoor service were among the reasons to limit the permitted area: “The first one would be the traffic in and out,” he said.

George Davis of Seaweed Lane spoke during the meeting in support of Flaitman, describing her as a year-round resident and local oyster farmer and urging approval so the business can succeed.

The approval follows discussion of procedural issues: because Flaitman’s lease opportunity did not arise until mid-April, she applied after the town’s normal window for liquor permit applications. The board voted 3–2 to waive timelines and hear the application on that basis before taking the final license vote.

The license approval includes the service-area definition, hours of operation (12 p.m. to 10 p.m.), and the requirement that outdoor service not extend onto the driveway or parking areas. The board also discussed fencing along the allowed side of the property; Flaitman told the board the side that will be used is fenced and that the driveway-side fence would be repaired or replaced.

No transfer of any prior license was recorded in the meeting; the board noted the prior license had been relinquished in February and that the current action is a new license granted to the applicant at this location.