PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The former Harry's Supermarket is staged for rebirth as a restaurant.
After a fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street market in 2023, the operators of Panda House plan to convert the building into a 200-seat Asian restaurant with hibachi.
Last week, they were granted special permits for parking modifications from the Community Development Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals.
During the Community Development Board meeting, it was demonstrated how the Harry's property is important to the north end of Pittsfield and was a great neighborhood attraction.
Brent White, White Engineering principal and civil engineer told the board that with these plans the property will become a new attraction for the entire city.
Owner Huzjie Zhu purchased the property in July 2024 and plans to build the restaurant in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building, as it is still structurally sound.
The applicants were said to also be involved in the Panda House on Pittsfield Road in Lenox, and plan to have similar operation hours.
City zoning requires 80 parking spots based on guest capacity and a workforce of employees. The Massachusetts Architectural Access Board requires three accessible parking spaces, one of which is van-accessible.
Their proposal includes 61 spaces of off-street parking between two parcels.
White said the reduction was justified for several reasons including the neighborhood's walkability, and the restaurant's location on the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority bus route.
Additionally, there are plans to use the owner's recent purchase of a multi-family home for staff housing and to have a shuttle for employees, he said.
It was noted that the team felt it was more important to provide proper accessible parking, which is why they are seeking a reduction in the overall parking spaces, he said.
Very few of the parking spaces meet the minimum depth requirement of 9-ft-by-20-ft, White said.
The proposed designated accessible parking spaces in the vicinity do not specify whether there is a five-foot or eight-foot van-accessible aisle, he said.
Achieving 80 full parking spaces is not feasible because of the layout of existing structures and curb cuts and the need to comply with the access board's accessible parking requirements, he said.
Original plans directed traffic one way to Bel Air Avenue through the property, but the Community Development Board asked that traffic be two-way.
The special permit was sent to the Zoning Board of Appeals with conditions including the removal of the one-way traffic flow and a parking management plan that identifies off-site parking sources.
The ZBA approved the special permit, with the condition of adding a dome mirror on the south corner of Bel Air Avenue, that the fire inspector be added to the discussion, and the parking plan be subject to changes if issues arise.
"There's no actual work that's going to happen [on the parking lot] other than likely a seal coating of the driveway, restriping the spaces properly with the van accessible spaces, and then wheel stops along the sidewalk," White told the ZBA.
Members of both boards expressed concern about preserving the decades-old mural on the side of the building.
The "The North End Remembers" mural, dedicated in September 1987, was painted by Daniel O'Connell, Daniel Galvez, Stephen Mark, and Diane Poirier. It contains images including Harry, the original owner of the market, and a man working on a General Electric transformer.
Project planners said they would certainly communicate that to the owners.
A few neighborhood residents attended the meeting to voice concerns about the traffic pattern of the area when that building is in use.
Attorney Dennis Egan noted that "it serves nobody to have that get congested."
"I think this is a good initiative," Chair Albert Ingegni III said.
"I can see the concern of the neighborhood, and it'd be nicer if there were another 50 spots somewhere, but you don't have it, so you're restricted by the infrastructure."
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