City Friendly's to be torn down, replaced

An Arsenal Street restaurant known for its neighborly name and signature ice cream will meet a wrecking ball early next year.

Kessler Family LLC, owner of several Friendly's restaurant franchises, will submit paperwork to the city's Planning Department that outlines how the restaurant at 1233 Arsenal St. will be demolished and replaced by a larger building, said Larry Ross, the company's director of marketing.

"The schedule is a little bit up in the air, but everything is moving forward," he said Friday. "We will be submitting a package for approval in the next couple of weeks. Once we get government approvals, we'll put it out to bid and move forward with the project."

Mr. Ross said the 2,700-square-foot Friendly's now standing on the property will be replaced with a 4,000-square-foot building. The new restaurant will be staffed by 50 "new hires."

Kessler Family representatives fought a very public battle against neighbor Kevin M. Fear last summer for the right to purchase city-owned land abutting both properties. Both Mr. Fear, who owns Mattress Express, 1241 Arsenal St., and Kessler Family said the vacant property was essential to expand their businesses.

The City Council ultimately sold the two-thirds-acre lot to Kessler Family for $15,000, despite receiving a purchase offer of $22,500 from Mr. Fear. The land had been city-owned since 2000, when it was taken for back taxes. The city granted itself a 50-foot easement through a portion of the property, limiting what can be done on the site.

With the land, Kessler Family plans to expand its parking lot, giving the larger restaurant enough spaces to fulfill requirements set by the city.

"The building isn't going to double in size, but we'll have double the seating there," Mr. Ross said. "One of the big advantages is it will be more comfortable for larger parties; that's something we're not able to really do well right now."

Mr. Ross said he was unsure when the building will be razed or how long the restaurant will be closed.

"We don't have any information on that right now," he said. "It's pending on Planning Board approvals. You never really know how quickly that process takes place."

The deadline to submit materials to be included for discussion at the Dec. 1 city Planning Board meeting was Tuesday. Submissions for the Jan. 5 meeting must be received by Dec. 22, said Kenneth A. Mix, city planning and community development coordinator.