Skipper's Pub Files Lawsuit Against Rooftop Dining Decision

Photo courtesy of Yelp user Elitia L.

Skipper’s Pub in Northport is isn’t taking no for an answer.

The Northport Village Zoning Board of Appeals rejected the restaurant’s rooftop dining proposal in November, but the owners of Skipper’s Pub are viewing the decision as more of a bump in the road.

The owns have reportedly filed an appeal against the decision and filed a lawsuit against the Zoning Board of Appeals and Northport Village, claiming the decision has no real reasoning behind it, according to Newsday.

The family-owned restaurant, located at 34 Main St., hoped to open a raw bar and a cafe on a 1,350-square-foot rooftop deck that fits about 100 people. Skipper’s Pub, which can be found at the intersection of Main Street and Woodbine Avenue, overlooks Northport harbor.

“We have an absolutely gorgeous view,” Marie Gallowitsch, owner of Skipper’s Pub, told Patch in July. “It’s kind of a no-brainer. There really isn’t any place on the Island that has a view like that.”

Marie and Paul Gallowitsch have owned the pub since 1978. Their son Paul Jr. works as a manager.

The family-owned restaurant looked to open a raw bar and a cafe on a 1,350-square-foot rooftop deck that fits about 100 people.

In a poll posted on Patch in July, about 68 percent of Northport residents said they approved the rooftop dining proposal. About 29 percent were against the proposal and 2 percent of voters had no opinion on the decisions. View the results and comments here.

Those who were opposed to the proposal commented on Northport’s already dense traffic.

“It will increase noise levels, pedestrian traffic, car traffic, decrease parking even more and make us even more of a zoo in that area of the Village,” Mary Silberstein told Patch in a Facebook message in July.

Many Northport residents commented on Patch’s poll and gave a variety of opinions on the topic:

“While it all sounds wonderful my main concern is parking, traffic and noise. I assume that there would be a band or music playing at some point in the week. I just wonder if the congestion might be too big a price. This must be carefully looked into and regulated.”- Vicki Field

“Parking is available in Northport village, it’s just not convenient and people don’t want to walk too far. I’m for the rooftop dining idea, it would be great to be able to enjoys some fresh seafood and watch the sunset over the water.” -Stephen Huneycutt

“It’s always a balance between fresh ideas and progress while keeping what we love so much about Northport which is the small village charm. The Farmer’s market is great but parking on a Saturday morning is near impossible. This illustrates the point about the traffic and parking issues we are seeing creep up slowly. The rooftop raw bar would be nice IF we kept it to no more than about 50 seats. Also add a bit more parking for the village and trim back the Farmer’s market to an ending time of 12 pm.” -Richard

What are your thoughts on the matter? Sound off below.