I'm pleased that outdoor seating is being reconsidered for the restaurant at Warwick Place. I love dining outdoors and there are few options here in Marblehead. I too object to loud music. I don't even need music, just good food, good service, and quiet conversation. And I like being able to walk to local restaurants. Can't guidelines be put in place that would ensure the restaurant is, and continues to be, a good neighbor?

The real issue is that the two dissenting votes refused to explain their rationale for voting against the idea.

This is unacceptable from public servants and causes people to question motives that cannot or will not be explained.

What do they have to hide?

Our beautiful seaside town is sorely lacking public outdoor dining spaces. All the nice spots on the water are at the Yacht Clubs, Save for a small balcony at the Barnacle, the Landing, and Jack Tar's patio. There is nothing downtown that invites an outdoor casual dining experience in a nice surrounding. The noise level would be the same as the open windows from Cafe Italia, and all the restaurants closes at about the same time, so that shouldn't be any additional issue for noise either. Out-of-towners constantly complain of the lack of this very thing. Let's do the right thing by looking forward and giving the people of this town a complete entertainment experience in our new town jewel.

I cannot blame anyone who lives in this neighborhood for not wanting outdoor dining. I've lived close to a very high-end restaurant. They were not exceptionally bad neighbors, but it was living hell to have them there, and they did not even have outdoor seating: the clients come out at night after a few cocktails and start carrying on LOUD conversations outside the establishment. Nothing you can do about this: it happens at just about any restaurant. So I imagine 32 people sitting outdoors enjoying themselves are going to add even further to the noise for the neighbors. And it's not just noise from outdoor seating that is a concern, so is parking.
The people on the Board shouldn't have to explain their vote - I think it was obvious: they actually voted to protect the interest of the neighborhood. Isn't that exactly what their job is? Not just to roll over every time a business wants something or because something would be "fun to have"? I am amazed at the lambasting the Board members have taken for actually considering the interests of residents as well as business. Everybody wants outdoor seating in Marblehead as long as it is not in their neighborhood. I hope the Board members listen whenever neighbors show up at any Planning Board meeting with valid concerns-those concerns should be carefully considered in all their decisions. Doing the right thing isn't necessarily doing what is most popular with people who will not be negatively impacted by the decision.

In principle, I like the idea of having outdoor dining available. I especially like that this proposal does not involve putting tables on sidewalks, but entirely on private property.

Concern about noise is understandable. The more people who are trying to have a conversation within earshot of each other, the louder they all have to talk to be heard. Outdoors this is probably less of a factor, since the sound isn't confined. People don't have to talk as loudly to be heard. Still, if this is approved, there will probably be occasional evenings when some patrons become exhilarated and get too loud.

Outdoor dining is an amenity, not a necessity for the Town.

The area that Warwick place is located is as close to a commercial district as we have in Marblehead. If we want to have places to gather such as a theater, then we can not enforce standards that are appropriate for a pure residential area. We need to be wary of creating an environment that makes it likely that these businesses will fail because they are not afforded what is customary in the restaurant/entertainment industry.