Since Alex’s Pizza & Grill extended its late-night hours several months ago, neighbors have suffered the brunt of it, including an increase in noise and trash issues, according to those in attendance at the East Berkeley Neighborhood Association (EBNA) monthly meeting Tuesday night at Project Place.
President Ken Smith said after the restaurant (located at 1252-54 Washington St.) adopted a 3 a.m. closing time three or months ago, he has received numerous complaints regarding excessive noise between midnight and 3 a.m., as well as the cleanliness outside its storefront.
“Street-cleaning can’t get close to the sidewalk because of cars double-parked at the pizza shop,” neighborhood resident Arthur Coe added.
Smith said he and Faisa Sharif, Mayor Martin Walsh’s neighborhood liaison, have discussed these quality-of-life concerns with the restaurant’s owners, who agreed to focus more on trash pickup, and to speak with his drivers about making more of an effort to be quiet while making nighttime deliveries.
“There is an opportunity to revisit it,” he added.
Officer Christopher Shoulla said he would talk to Captain James Hasson of District 4 about further discussing neighbors’ concerns with the restaurant owner under the auspices of Boston Police.
Regarding crime in the neighborhood, Shoulla said it had been “very quiet,” and that he was “not aware of anything unusual in the last month,” although the Drug Unit did make several arrests along Fay Street.
•In another matter, Coe said the application for New York Mart (a.k.a. Ming’s Supermarket) is scheduled to appear on the docket for the Board of Appeals April hearing, and he encouraged neighbors to turn out for it to express their concerns.
(New York Mart is seeking a zoning variance that would allow it to continue using a vacant building on East Berkeley Street as a warehouse for food storage, but the matter has been deferred several times, including at the December ZBA hearing.)
•EBNA also welcomed Katie Wason, special projects manager for BDY SQD Ink Block at 34 Traveler St., for its Business Spotlight.
BDY SQD, which also has another location at 349 Newbury St. in the Back Bay, is a performance and recovery studio that offers three complementary modalities – one-to-one assisted stretching, infrared sauna and Normatec boots – to “deliver a consistent and regular reset,” according to the company website.
“We offer recovery for everyone,” Wason said. “It’s not just for athletes.”
BDY SQD offers a range of membership and drop-in options, including a $45 rate for a 30-minute stretch, followed by a 30-minute detox,” Wason said.
•Meanwhile, Smith said EBNA was looking to fill two of its 11 seats on the board of directors, and Steve Berns, a neighborhood resident and retired attorney, volunteered for one of the openings. (One seat has remained vacant for an extended period of time while the other opened up recently after Chris Johnson, outgoing vice president, stepped down from the board after five years of service).
New board members are slated to be sworn in at the EBNA’s next monthly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 6:30 p.m. in Project Place.
City Councilor at-Large Annissa Essaibi George is currently scheduled to appear at the meeting as well.