Westbury Village Mayor Peter Cavallaro said he was troubled by how an Italian restaurant had operated since acquiring a special-use permit from the board in May.
The board unanimously granted Christopher Stasi, the owner of Cena 081, a four-month probationary cabaret permit on May 15 with a list of conditions, including a stipulation that it could be revoked if more than two reasonable, substantiated and corroborated complaints were made.
“I am troubled and I’m sure the rest of the board is troubled by the fact that he knew he was on probation, he knew there was a short leash, he knew that he had to come back here in four months and almost immediately he just ignored not only what he said, but also the manner of operations that he said he was going to follow,” the mayor said at the board’s Thursday, Sept. 4 meeting.
William Mello, who represented the Post Avenue restaurant at the meeting, said that he was aware that Cena 081 has received some noise complaints, but most had gone unfounded, and one complaint required a summons.
“Business of this nature is going to have these complaints, and these are the same complaints that have been going on for the last 15 years,” he said.
Cavallaro agreed that some complaints had been unfounded, but he said that a number of them were founded and that the restaurant appeared to have violated the permit.
Mello said the board’s decision to renew the eatery’s special-use permit in May allowed for a “resurgence.”
“There is no doubt in my mind that the special-use permit that you granted was very helpful,” he said.
Mello said Stasi, who was not present, had invested a large sum of money into redoing parts of the exterior in April.
Mello
Village staff said on Thursday that two complaints were found serious enough to require a summons.
In June, Cavallaro defended Cena 081 when multiple residents complained about the noise levels.
At the time, he said no complaints were found.
On Thursday, Cavallaro read transcripts from prior hearings with Stasi, claiming that the owner did not live up to this word regarding how the restaurant was going to be operated, saying it is being used more like an event space.
He also read a flier that advertised live music and DJs playing at Cena 081 on different nights during the week.
“He’s advertising this as a club and he said he wasn’t going to do that,” Cavallaro said.
“This is what keeps restaurants like his at the top,” Mello responded.
“I’m going to stop you there,” the mayor said. “Other high-end places don’t have this.”
At one point, Cavallaro played with a thumb drive in his hand and said there was already evidence of proven noise complaints on the record.
Two other trustees also said that what they previously heard from Stasi was not truthful.
“I’m troubled with the lack of follow-through,” Trustee Pedro Quintanilla said.
“What he actually presented to us was not factual,” Trustee Beaumont Jefferson added.
Mello said that the nature of the restaurant means it is going to be loud from time to time. He argued that many times the crowd noise would be louder than the actual volume of the music.
Manette Cincotta, who lives on one of the residential roads near Cena 081, played recorded audio from her home, highlighting the noise of the restaurant.
“That is not a train,” she said. “Nobody is trying to catch them doing something wrong; we just want to live happily in the community in peace.”
The restaurant’s current permit is set to expire on Sept. 15, but Cavallaro said that it will remain active while the village is in the process of deciding whether to renew it.
The mayor said the board would like to further talk with Stasi and community members before coming to a decision on the permit.
