Ice shop becomes hot issue for Milltown Residents complain about overflow parking, illegal U-turns BY TARA PETERSEN Staff Writer MILLTOWN — Residents who live close to an Italian ice restaurant say it is no picnic in the summertime. Homeowners on Leonard Road, directly behind Rita’s Italian Ice shop, as well as some residents along Blueberry Drive and Hye Court, have come forward with concerns about traffic they say is associated with the restaurant during peak hours of spring and summer operation. Rita’s, whose owner says he wants to work with the town to resolve the issues, is located at the corner of Ryders Lane and Blueberry Drive, and has a driveway off both roads. Its parking lot has 12 spaces including a handicapped spot. Leonard Road and Hye Court are opposite each other off Blueberry Drive, a short distance from Ryders Lane. There are only four homes along the dead-end Leonard Road, and residents there say people block their driveways, "whip around" the corner in their vehicles at high speeds and often make illegal U-turns on Blueberry Drive. Many customers choose to park along the residential roads just a few feet from the establishment rather than entering the small lot, the residents said. Other times, customers use the street because the lot is full. Resident Bill Deaver said the traffic is very predictable since people tend to frequent the restaurant after dinner and on weekends. Also, the hotter and drier the weather, the more customers. "All of a sudden, it’s like someone flipped a switch and it was like Route 1. They were lined up five-deep to do a U-turn," Deaver said. Customers coming from Ryders Lane who choose not to enter Rita’s lot have to either turn right on Leonard, go left on Hye Court, or turn around along Blueberry Drive if they want to park along the street. Though there are "no parking" signs and the curb is painted yellow on one side of Blueberry Drive between Ryders Lane and Leonard Drive, many people park there anyway. "They park right beside the sign," Deaver said. The yellow paint, however, is faded, and the signs are several feet apart. Resident Drew Misura contends that the business does not have adequate parking. Until five years ago, the restaurant was a pizzeria, he said, where customers came just long enough to pick up their food. Misura has a 12-year-old son, and Deaver has a 10-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son. Both said they are very concerned for their children’s safety on a street that is otherwise quiet enough for a casual game of basketball. "We’re subsidizing the business at the expense of the safety of our kids," Misura said. Resident Frank DeLuca agreed. "The primary parking is on the street. The parking lot is supplemental," he said. DeLuca brought the matter to the Borough Council’s attention earlier this month. "Let them operate their business with the current parking," DeLuca said. "If I feel my house is too small, I don’t go to my neighbor’s house and ask for more [bedrooms]." Residents are asking for an extended no-parking area, and to have permit-only parking for homeowners within a certain distance of the restaurant. Residents have also asked for an increased police presence, saying that one night an officer wrote three tickets in 15 minutes. They believe the restaurant depends on repeat business, and that more tickets would help curb the problem. Residents said the amount of spaces was appropriate for the pizza place, but that the governing body should never have allowed Rita’s to operate with so few parking spaces. Mayor Gloria Bradford said the restaurant is considered to be a similar type of take-out establishment as the pizza restaurant, and therefore did not require a use variance. "They did not need to come before the zoning board," Bradford said. "The difference really is that people sit in their cars and eat ice cream, but they take their pizzas home." Bradford said that the matter was referred to the borough’s safety committee for review. However, she does not believe permit parking is the answer. "Towns that have tried it have introduced all kinds of problems," she said. Rita’s owner Dave Hendri said he takes residents’ concerns very seriously and that he would work to resolve the matter in a reasonable fashion. "They have a right to exist and a right to privacy. We have a right to exist and a right to do business," Hendri said. "We don’t know what’s going to fix the problem, but I will do my best to be at the meetings and to listen to the issues and find out what may be the answer." Hendri said the somewhat colder, rainy spring leading up to the hotter weather has created a jump in business that is "the busiest I’ve ever seen it." He said, however, that the business does die down as the summer comes because many residents visit the shore. Hendri said he strives to work with members of the community and also donates to community organizations. Hendri also pointed out a previous problem that some residents voiced concerning customers littering when they discarded their Rita’s cups, and how he resolved the issue. "I have personally gone out and picked up cups. My staff goes out and picks up cups," he said. "The cup issue has been resolved."