News

By Mary Thurwachter

    There’s a new restaurant on the horizon for Ocean Avenue. While all the details haven’t been revealed, Lantana Town Council members learned at their July 24 meeting that the eatery will fill the space previously occupied by Paesano Ristorante at 210 E. Ocean Ave.
    Because Paesano closed in 2016 and the property has been vacant for a year, the town zoning rules required a review and approval of a new special exception for the property to be used as a restaurant.
    That approval was granted after Morris Costigan, a Lantana resident and restaurant owner, made his pitch for leasing the property from its owner, the Small Corporation of Palm Beach.
    “I’ve been in the restaurant business for 24 years,” said Costigan, who with his wife, Rachel, owns O’Shea’s Irish Pub on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach. He said he stumbled upon the property on Super Bowl Sunday when he was looking for a bite to eat on Ocean Avenue.
    While he did not reveal the restaurant’s name, Costigan said it would be a European-American bistro, “not a bar, not beverage focused. Our price structure would be medium to low.”
    Chip Carlson, a representative of the Small Corporation, said the property, on the cottage/commercial stretch of Ocean Avenue, had housed restaurants since 1981 and has 43 parking spaces. Valet parking will be provided for the new restaurant.
    Carlson said he knew the area was plagued with parking problems, but added that “whether the restaurant was open or closed, you’re going to have congestion.”
    In other news, the town approved an increased assessment for solid waste and recyclables collection. For single-family homes, the increase will amount to 40 cents a month. The charge for condo units would go up 18 cents a month.