BEVERLY — At most restaurants, you can’t sit on its patio unless you’re a customer. You can’t reserve a room for free to hold a community meeting. and you don’t have access to public bathrooms.
Many people might not realize it, but all of those options are available at Mission Boathouse — and are now memorialized in a new agreement.
The restaurant, which opened early last year on the Beverly waterfront, recently finalized a state-mandated “management plan” that lays out how the business will insure public access to certain areas of the restaurant. That access is required because the restaurant was built on public tidelands and is governed by a state law, Chapter 91, that mandates that the public have access to such areas.
The restaurant’s community room, called “Boathouse Gallery,” must be open to the public during regular operating hours. The room, located on the first floor on the water side of the restaurant, is available for “public events and meetings sponsored by local community groups,” the plans says. Two eight-foot-long folding tables and up to 20 chairs are available for meetings or gatherings.
Mission Boathouse owner Marty Bloom said the community room has gotten only “occasional” use. A sign in the window of the room advertises its availability, as required by the state. There is no mention of the community room on the restaurant’s website.
To reserve the community room, people can contact Mission Boathouse General Manager Leonardo Neves at 978-720-8333 or email Leonardo@missionboathouse.com or managers@missionboathouse.com. Reservations must be made at least 15 days in advance.
“Otherwise,” the plan states, “the space is available for all public to visit, escape from outdoor elements, relax, and use the restrooms during the hours of operation.”
The outdoor dining patio is also available for public use when the restaurant is open, with no purchase necessary at the restaurant. The patio, located on the back side of the restaurant with clear water views, has 27 tables, 78 chairs and one large sofa with eight seats, according to the plan. The public is not allowed to bring alcohol to the patio.
The city has agreed to allow the restaurant to rent out the outdoor patio for up to 10 weddings between March 1 and Nov. 30 on a trial basis, but the events must be limited to two hours.
The restaurant is temporarily closing its two businesses on the first floor, Tequila Cantina and Market Place, for the fall and winter, as it did last year, and will not be staffing the outdoor patio during that time, Bloom said.
Mayor Mike Cahill said people should know their rights in terms of public access at the restaurant. The land, which the city owns and leases to Mission Boathouse, was purchased years ago with a state recreation grant that stipulated it remain open to the public. When the city advertised for restaurants to lease the site, it included requirements for public access.
“It’s insuring that not just customers of the restaurant, but the public at large can have access to parts of the restaurant,” Cahill said.
“People have a right to go sit at those outdoor seats even if they have no intention of ordering food at the restaurant,” he added. “They have a right to sit in those seats and bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the views.”
The parking lot at the restaurant is also open to the public, not just restaurant customers.
Ward 2 City Councilor Danielle Spang, who represents the area, said many people are probably unaware of their public access rights at the restaurant. She said the city’s Waste Management Committee did use the patio and the community room for a meeting last week.
“I think it’s important that people know.”
Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.