New Harborview owner wins temporary lease for outdoor dining; special-amusement hearing held

Gail Stinson, the new owner of the Harborview Restaurant, asked the Stonington Selectmen on April 19 to reserve the front space in front of her deck so she can expand outdoor dining if COVID-19 case counts rise. Town Manager Billings said the application for special amusement was complete, had been advertised in the local paper and had generated no public comments.

The board approved a motion to permit the lease of the front deck space for limited increments, with Selectman John Steed making the motion and Selectman John Robbins seconding. The vote on the lease motion was recorded 4-0. Town Manager Billings told the board they could set the exact time increments the lease would cover.

The hearing also covered a special-amusement application for the Harborview premises; Billings said the application mirrored the prior arrangement and that the board had received no objections during the public notice period. Earlier in April the Selectmen had approved an Atlantic Harbor View liquor-license application after the required public notice and with no public objections.

Selectmen referred related operational questions — including how long temporary outdoor permissions should run and how they will be administered — to the town staff to follow up and to include any town-approval contingencies in final lease paperwork. The motioned lease is contingent on final lease language and any required permits.

The board did not set an expiration date in the meeting beyond noting it could adopt month-by-month or seasonal increments; Town Manager Billings said the board could tailor durations as public-health metrics change. The Selectmen’s next regularly scheduled meetings will provide an opportunity to formalize terms and any additional conditions.