Skipper's Pub ruling two months away

The Northport Zoning Board of Appeals is expected to issue a decision in less than two months on whether to allow Skipper's Pub to build a seasonal rooftop bar with a view of the waterfront.

Owners Paul and Marie Gallowitsch appeared before the zoning board in July to appeal the initial rejection of their application for a $400,000 project that would create more than 100 outdoor seats. The couple's attorney, Christopher Modelewski, who is chairman of the Town of Huntington ZBA, filed his final legal arguments with the Northport zoning board at its Sept. 16 meeting.

Modelewski's filing closed the hearing on the appeal, giving the board 62 days from that date to render a decision, according to village statute. If both parties agree, village code allows an extension to the review process beyond the current Nov. 17 deadline.

The project has raised concerns among some residents -- including nearby business owners -- on how an expansion would affect noise and parking in Northport's busy downtown. Others have spoken before the ZBA in support of the project, citing the ability to imbibe outdoors and eat fresh oysters a few hundred feet from Northport Harbor.

The Gallowitsches have owned Skipper's for 38 years. The restaurant is at Main Street and Woodbine Avenue, across from the popular Cow Harbor Park.

Marie Gallowitsch said the restaurant's busiest season is summer, and the outdoor addition would help them make up for money lost in the winter months. Business is so slow during the off-season that the couple has weighed whether to close for months at a time, she said. For now, they've opted to stay open year-round to accommodate their regulars.