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Remains to be Resolved

After months of sometimes rancorous debate, the Carlson Landing restaurant project was approved by the Essex Zoning Commission.

As I mentioned in my letter to the Courier in early June [“Misses a Larger Point”], it’s high time that local residents have additional dining options in Essex and to have this new dining option immediately adjacent to the Connecticut River Museum campus will surely help both organizations.

Now that the plan has been approved, an important question that remains to be resolved is the issue of continued access for Connecticut River Museum visitors between the two campuses of the museum via the staircase. This staircase was built with the approval from the former owner of the Carlson Landing property and donated by the Essex Rotary Club.

The commission has left the decision to grant approval for the continued presence of the staircase squarely in the hands of Carlson Landing’s owners and it is my sincere hope that they will do the right thing and leave the staircase. The presence of the staircase will ensure continued convenient, safe, and unobstructed foot traffic across the roadway, between the two museum campuses. It is worth noting that the commission determined that the presence of the staircase did not represent a safety hazard to pedestrians.

The staircase will likely benefit the restaurant and museum alike as many visitors walk Main Street down to the museum campus already and the staircase will provide continued easy and safe access to both the museum property and Carlson’s Landing.

It’s good news that Essex will soon have an additional dining option and with luck this approval will not be the last.

Bob Osborn

Essex