Morristown officials say it’s a no-brainer: A classy restaurant proposed by a star of the New York culinary scene looks like a perfect fit for the Vail Mansion.
Now they just have to convince the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
“It will take some time to resolve, maybe two months. It could be sooner,” John Inglesino, lawyer for the Vail Mansion Redevelopment Agency, said Wednesday after briefing the agency about recent talks with the state concerning restaurateur Chris Cannon’s proposed Jockey Hollow Bar and Kitchen.
It boils down to a specialized liquor license, called a concessionaire’s permit, which would be issued by the state. This permit requires that the local government own or control the property in question, according to John.
And that’s the challenge for Morristown: Proving it controls the restaurant space.
“It’s about making sure we can establish that to the ABC’s satisfaction,” John said.
Until just a few years ago, Morristown owned the Vail Mansion, an Italian Renaissance palazzo that served as town hall for decades after AT&T magnate Theodore Vail walked away from it.
When the town sold the property to a condo developer, Rosewood, the town stipulated that a public use must be found for the original portion of the mansion. If no suitable tenant was recruited, ownership could revert to the town.
Now, the town aims to use this “reverter clause” as proof that it controls the space, enabling the state to grant Chris Cannon the concessionaire’s permit.
“We have a rather unique set of facts,” John said.
Chris Cannon and his lawyer, former state Community Affairs Commissioner Lori Grifa, did not attend Wednesday’s meeting. Lori expressed impatience last month, noting that discussions stretched back to October and her client had other offers.
But town officials expressed confidence that the Jockey Hollow Bar and Kitchen will become part of the downtown dining scene. Discussions with the applicant “are not at all contentious,” John Inglesino said.
“I think a poker game is going on,” said Dick Tighe, chairman of the Vail redevelopment agency. While the town is anxious to fill the Vail space after many tries, he said, there are few commercial vacancies in Morristown, indicating that this has become “a hot town.”
Chris Cannon, a Mountain Lakes resident, knows something about hot restaurants. He has been a principal in such esteemed Italian establishments as San Domenico, Remi, L’Impero, Alto, Marea and All’Onda in New York.
In Morristown, he envisions a first-floor oyster- and wine bar with a casual menu and a cocktail lounge.
The second floor would feature farm-to-table fine dining. And the “sub-level” would host private events, according to Chris.
Only three residents of the Vail luxury condos showed up on Wednesday. One of them, Issa Oweis, questioned how the redevelopment agency would minimize the impact of cooking odors, restaurant garbage and delivery trucks to protect the residents. “The town is relying on the goodwill of a restaurateur,” he said.
Dick Tighe replied that the restaurant would be subject to all town safety- and health permit regulations.
But any alcohol-related issues would be handled by the state, John Inglesino said.
Let me get this straight, the Town is now going to give someone a liquor license after they have denied others from expanding or transferring theres? What happened to the parking issues? Also, what about putting a bar right in the middle of the condo’s at the Vail Mansion? Didn’t anyone hear the concerns of 40 Park or Community Place? As classy as they think this new place is going to be, won’t another 200 people drinking alcohol only exasperate what was a supposed problem in town? Or is this an admission that they are hypocrites?