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Owner of closed Roslindale cleaners hopes to fold in a new restaurant
By adamg on Fri, 12/19/2014 - 2:05pm
The owner of the closed Busy Bee Cleaners, 4381 Washington St., is scheduled to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals on Jan. 6 for permission to convert the building into a 49-seat restaurant.
However, City Councilor Tim McCarthy's office says the mayor's office will ask the board to defer the hearing because Stelio Koutonidis has yet to hold a meeting with nearby residents to discuss his plans, which would include stripping the exterior of the building and installing a new storefront, as well as seats, a counter and a kitchen.
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Comments
Doesn't anybody cook
Doesn't anybody cook themselves any more ?
Apparently more people
do their laundry themselves than cook these days.
I was going to cook myself...
...but I couldn't fit in the oven.
(Sorry, I couldn't resist...)
Big changes for neighborhood
Roslindale is getting so hip these days!
Parking in 3, 2, 1 ...
I expect that will be a major issue for this location.
Brannelly's and the Pleasant
Brannelly's and the Pleasant have plenty of parking.
Which
They own!, not this guy...
Exactly !
Exactly !
not really...
although neighbors might want to designate their street resident parking only...
Does the property include the lot and garage behind it?
If so, there might be a little room for parking. ;~}
No, belongs to house next door
See
http://hubmaps1.cityofboston.gov/egis/Map.aspx?PropertyID=2000408000
and
http://hubmaps1.cityofboston.gov/egis/Map.aspx?PropertyID=2000408001 .
Not that I think they need the parking. If it serves a neighborhood need, a lot of people will walk there.
Thanks
We could walk (maybe half a mile and a bit)
Las Palmas
Does Las Palmas have parking? There's a lot behind that block of stores, but I don't know if it's for customers.
Rustica + Seven Stars over on Belgrade don't have lots either so it should be a non issue.
There a lot
behind Seven Star, its for employees of the other business located on the same strip but they all close at 5pm.
I donlt think that's for customers
But really, why is this an issue? Most Rozzie restaurants don't have parking. Is it a problem with Delfino or Village Sushi, or etc.?
There's a nearby parking lot...
... for Delfino's and Village Sushi.
An issue I'm surprised hasn't come up
Will they be serving booze? And if so, whose license did they buy?
I don't drink, but I get the issue that people want to have alcohol while they eat and it becomes a big cash source for the restaurant, so could it be possible that a dry restaurant is coming?
As far as I know, no liquor license
Given that they're not in one of the Main Street districts, Dorchester or Roxbury, they'd have to buy one on the open market, and even for Roslindale, you're talking low six figures, which would be an insane amount to put down when you don't even have zoning approval yet.
Ya but without booze
the owner will NEVER fill all 49 seats.
God forbid any Roslindale
God forbid any Roslindale resident today should get through a meal without alcohol.
Now, now, there's plenty of options
You can always go to Romano's, or Nick's, or Wapo Taco or Subway. And you don't even have to see the bar at the Pleasant if you don't want to.
neighbor
I live super close and I'd be happy to have that place be something other than a big rusty storefront. Though 49 seats w/out a liquor license will be tough.
Is there a name for that type of building?
Is there a name for that type of old building? Looking at the picture, that could be one of a thousand places in Boston neighborhoods. Those buildings are everywhere. Sometimes boarded up like the pictured one, sometimes still in use, but getting increasingly rarer.
Good question
Sort of related: Roslindale has a few storefronts that are no longer used for stores on what are basically residential streets.
I know a few on Belgrade and
I know a few on Belgrade and one on Walworth spring immediately to mind. Here in Readville, we have the same thing. On Readville Street, near the corner with the Neponset Valley Parkway, five of the first six lots have storefronts that are now apartments. What's the deal with that? Zoning changes over the years?
Huh, will have to take a drive down there
Sounds interesting!
There's also one on Beech, on the way to Poplar, just past the Bates. I think it was a hair dresser at one point, now it's just part of the house it's connected to. There's also the old Christos market near the Longfellow, although that's still for rent as commercial space (with the best hand-done font ever, at least now that Henry's has actual professional signs).
The old beauty salon (?) on Beech....
... looks like it is now only storage space or the like.
The one on Beech used to be a
The one on Beech used to be a penny candy store. There was a little milk and bread store on Kittredge going down the hill to Cornell . On the other end of Beech past the Mozart was Elmer's, another milk and bread store.
Could classify them by architectural style,
but they usually are referred to as "taxpayers". Single floor retail built around the time of the depression on vacant lots to produce enough income to pay property taxes until the economy improved and a proper building made financial sense to put up. But then white flight and zoning made that not happen for the past 80 years or so.
was eyeing that space myself
Super close to where we live; got a postcard about the zoning meeting. The space has been empty for a while -- it would be nice to see something go in.
Been trying to think of what the village area needs foodwise. For my own selfish reasons I'd love to see a shop doing shwarma or donor kebab type fast and take-out friendly stuff.
Yucatan
I would like Yucatan or another Mexican place move closer. Waco isn't really my fav.
Try Romano's
They serve legit Mexican street food -- you can't go wrong with the chorizo taco. What we really need is a Vietnamese pho joint or maybe something from the eastern Mediterranean.
Yucatan (2) WAS closer...
... but it didn't get enough business to survive.
Shwarma! Or Greek food ...
Given how many Greeks live in the neighborhood, it's kind of surprising the closest Greek place is in Dedham Square.
need my gyro fix
it's hard being an ex-detroiter living here - there are no decent greek places anywhere in the city.
Stash's
Stash's on Belgrade has quite a few Greek options. I've never had any, but the other stuff I've had there has been pretty good.
Lamb is a lost art. I go to a
Lamb is a lost art. I go to a Greek joint that has a gyro sign ,but only beef and chicken. I asked the people , where's the lamb.? The woman told me no one eats it any more. Σκατά !
I won't fully believe any claims of Roslindale's ascent until
We finally get some vegetarian/vegan options.
shanti has vegan mondays
and redd's has a few veg options... it would be nice to have a fully vegan/vegetarian restaurant - but there are only maybe a dozen in the entire metro area - I know of only 3 or 4 full service places.
cool old building
I know, really nothing to do with anything but...was it originally a gas station? Like in 1920? Any Roslindale people know? It was Busy Bee Cleaners at least as far back as 1956
Just curious
Bagel place, please
Why not put a restaurant at the Treon Realty building at the corner of Washington and Cornell? It has plenty of parking and looks vacant now. Anyone know what's going on there?
I would love to see a breakfast / lunch spot with coffee. Bagel place would be awesome, with bagel sandwiches. Something with quick service, small tables, and take out (coffee to go!). Bagels have to be as good as Katz Bagels in Chelsea. Not a chain. A Kickstand Cafe (Arlington) type place would also be great, but this spot is a quarter of its size. Not sure we are hip enough for a Diesel Cafe vibe yet...
old fashioned jewish deli would be nice
I also think there are enough "hip" people here to pull off a nice upscale coffee place - but we don't have the student population for diesel cafe like place.
There used to be one there.
There used to be one there. The realty place was two gun John Capone's drug store , and beside it was the variety. It just never did well , whoever owned it. Oops , thought we were talking variety stores , but I think there might have been a pizza place there too at one time as well. I am distracted here , the Redskins were beating the Eagles , oops now It's tied .
It was Governors Pizza until
It was Governors Pizza until turning into a Century 21 sometime in the early 90's