The Eatery Receives Variance For New North Main St. Location

Lakeview Gardens at 1259 North Main Street (Google Maps)

A Jamestown diner has received variance approval for a new location on North Main Street.

The owners of The Eatery, currently located in the Fluvanna Plaza at 194 Fluvanna Avenue, had petitioned the Jamestown Zoning Board of Appeals for the variance to move into 1259 North Main Street, despite the property not being zoned for restaurant use. The North Main Street address is the former location of Lakeview Gardens floral shop which is currently owned by Jason Spain.

Restaurant owners Deborah Paddock and James Sinatra are in the process of buying the property with the sale being contingent on the receipt of the use variance.

With the City of Jamestown currently updating the Zoning Code, ZBA Chair Ellen Ditonto questioned whether the business could wait until the code was complete due to the likelihood that North Main Street would be rezoned and, thus, eliminate the need for a variance. City Principal Planner Jason Kulaszewski said that the zoning code update would likely not be completed until the end of 2027, which would mean the restaurant owners could not purchase the property until that point. Restaurant Manager Hannah Alexander said they would lose the opportunity to buy if they wait that long. She said once the purchase is finalized, the timeline to move in would be six to eight months.

The Eatery owners currently own all their kitchen equipment as well as restaurant seating with plans to move those to the new space. The diner currently employs 12 workers and plans to keep its same hours of operation.

The Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved the variance with the condition that the City would contact the New York State Department of Transportation regarding any concerns about egress and traffic due to the business being on a state road.