Vinsetta Garage Owner To Present Alternate Plan In Rezoning Battle With Berkley Residents

BERKLEY (WWJ) - Things could get heated again, Tuesday night in Berkley, where a zoning battle has pitted residents against a wildly popular restaurant.

Some who live near the Vinsetta Garage on Woodward Ave. have been incensed by owner Curt Catallo's plan to raze several homes and turn the property into a parking lot.

The issue was postponed last month while Catallo — who already purchased three homes on the block — came up with another plan.

"We're still looking for a solution that will work both from the Vinsetta Garage standpoint and the community's standpoint," Catallo said. "I mean, we understand the importance of the neighbors; and we don't wanna let them down, but we wanna come up with a solution that works for everybody.

Berkley resident Marie Baranda says she does not want the lot built across the street from her home on Oxford Street.

"I didn't move into a neighborhood where I would have a parking lot across from me," Baranda said. "It's not something that I desire, you know, for reasons of property value, the sense of community...and just safety purposes — being across from an unsupervised lot."

Catallo says it has been impossible for patrons of the Vinsetta to find legal parking, and has offered to wall off a parking lot to protect residents from the noise.

Catallo will be back before the Planning Commission Tuesday evening  to propose an alternate plan of which the details have not yet been made public.

As of now, parking at the restaurant is extremely limited, with a tiny lot behind the building and valet service available.

MORE: Berkley City Council Tables Home Rezoning Request By Owners Of Vinsetta Garage

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