The owners of and spoke openly Tuesday night against e.
"Do we need another pizzeria anywhere in this three-block area?" said Frank Donato, owner of Brick Oven Pizzeria on Main Street. "They will be drawing our lunch hour crowd and taking up parking spaces the village doesn't have."
Though The Cookery's owners originally wanted to put the open, wood-burning oven directly in front of their restaurant, the fire department deemed the space—directly on top of a steep hill— too dangerous. The compromise location officials agreed on was to allow them to set up at the Waterfront during the winter and then join the farmers market on Cedar Street in the spring.
The board has tabled the discussion for now, saying they will continue to weigh residents' concerns including traffic, competition and safety.
"This is a dificult one," said Mayor Hartley Connett. "The first concern is competition—which we can't regulate and isn't necessarily a bad thing. But issues like safety and traffic have to be carefully considered."
What do you think—should the village issue The Cookery a permit to open a mobile gourmet pizza truck in the village? If so, where should it be allowed to operate?
