Owners Look to Sell Former Johnny's Beach Club Property
The Licensing Board had a fairly short meeting on Monday.
Wahconah Street LLC's attorney Jeffrey Lynch told the Licensing Board on Monday that owners no longer plan to open but instead want to improve the 87 Wahconah St. property in hopes of selling it.
"It is essentially too rough," Lynch said. "It is in need of a new roof, exterior needs siding work, and the interior, although they started renovation, it needs to be cleaned up more."
Suzanne Chung, a partner with numerous restaurants including Jae's Bistro, Vongs, and 7 Winter Grill, and Oscar Amaya had planned to open a Spanish regional tapas restaurant at the former Johnny's Beach Club that they purchased in 2017.
Lynch said the all-alcohol license was transferred in 2018 but plans to open this summer were deterred by the condition of the property and it was placed on the market in the spring. It is listed for $295,000.
Lynch said they do plan to make improvements to the location to make it more sellable.
"At this point, the offers they have received are too low to make it viable for sale," he said. "So the plan is to raise the value of the property and the look of the neighborhood and hopefully find a new buyer."
A contractor has been hired and building permits should be pulled in the coming weeks. He said they hope to finish up renovations in October.
Lynch did note if they cannot sell the property, they may come before the board again to inquire about opening it themselves.
The Licensing Board only asked to be kept in the loop and that Lynch return to the October meeting to provide another update.
In other business, the board approved John Biotta's request for a class II used auto dealer's vehicle license. He plans to sell used vehicles at John's Automotive at 165 Wahconah St.
The board also approved MRM Samel's Deli and Catering request to specify where alcohol will be stored on the premises. This is a stipulation of the catering license the restaurant is applying for.
The board approved a change of manager request from Chili's Grill & Bar and a request from Berkshire Automotive Repair and Sales for a change of location form 111 West Housatonic St. to 607 West Housatonic Street.
Tags: license board, restaurants,
