POINT PLEASANT BEACH — The Point Pleasant Beach borough council meeting room was filled with about two dozen people wearing Atlantic Offshore Fishery attire Tuesday. They patiently waited until the public comment portion of the meeting to raise their issue.
“I am here tonight to talk about my family’s experience with having a small business in Point Pleasant Beach and the undue burdens and restrictions the township is placing on us,” said Adriana Sarapochillo, one of the owners of Atlantic Offshore Fishery on Channel Drive.
The business has filed a lawsuit against the borough that is pending in district court. Mayor Paul Kanitra said the litigation restricted the ability of borough officials to respond to the audience in more detail during the meeting.
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According to Ms. Sarapochillo, the fishery and restaurant applied for a seasonal tent permit for this upcoming summer season but its request was denied. The tent had been a crucial part of the outdoor dining experience at the eatery for the past two summers, and after being denied a permit, the business decided to sue the borough.
The tent is usually placed in the parking lot of the fishery and protects up to 35 patrons from the elements while they dine outdoors. In 2022, the first issue with the tent arose when the business was asked to move it and uncover the handicapped parking space it was blocking. Once this was completed, according to Ms. Sarapochillo the hits kept on coming.
“We have spent thousands of dollars to meet standards, which seem like they are constantly changing,” said Ms. Sarapochillo. “Now we have been denied a seasonal permit for our outdoor tent. The reason? An issue with our dumpsters that we have resolved.”
The attorney for Atlantic Offshore Fishery, John Jackson, said that in the fall of 2022, the business was notified of a violation for its outdoor tent covering a handicapped parking space and the borough would be revoking the tent permit. After rectifying the situation, Mr. Jackson sent an appeal to the borough asking not to revoke the permit, but according to him, the borough never responded.
This year, the business put in an application for a tent permit once again, and was apparently denied due to their previous violation. Because the business and their legal representatives believed the process and procedures of denying the permit were unfounded, they sued the town on Feb. 23.
Now, the business is waiting for the town to respond to their order to show cause, which must be put before a judge by March 17.
“We corrected everything that was asked of us,” said Ms. Sarapochillo.
After a few other members of the staff spoke about the dire need for this outdoor dining space, Mayor Kanitra addressed the situation.
“We really appreciate you coming out here,” said Mayor Kanitra. “Every single violation that comes in needs to be looked at objectively… When this was initially brought to us, both Council President Vitale and I wanted to help. Ultimately, I think this is going to work out in a reasonable way for everyone… One thing you have to understand from our council perspective is that when legal gets involved, then all communications need to cease.”
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