Selectmen Approve Seasonal Lease Option for Harborview Restaurant Deck

Selectman Donna Brewer and the Stonington Board of Selectmen approved a seasonal lease option on April 19 that will allow Harborview Restaurant owner Gail Stinson to reserve the front space adjacent to the restaurant deck for outdoor dining if COVID-19 conditions make it necessary.

Town Manager Billings told the board the Special Amusement application for Harborview was complete and had been advertised with no public comments received. Stinson described she was seeking flexibility to use the deck space for seating and requested the town hold a lease so the space would be available later in the season if required by public-health trends. The board approved a motion by Selectman John Steed, seconded by Selectman John Robbins, to permit the leased space in the summer months; the vote was 4-0.

The decision follows the board’s review of a Special Amusement application tied to the restaurant’s operations; TM Billings noted the application paperwork met publication and notice requirements. The lease approval covers use of town-owned area immediately in front of the deck and was framed as a temporary, seasonal accommodation tied to COVID-related needs rather than a permanent expansion of the restaurant’s footprint.

Board members discussed timing and duration; the town manager indicated the board could set the specific months and increments for any lease period. The motion approved during the meeting authorized the lease space for the coming summer subject to those parameters.

The board also approved routine minutes and warrants at the start of the meeting. The Harborview lease decision is administrative and does not change any formal ordinance; any longer-term property changes would require separate review or town-meeting action if statutory requirements apply.