La Chaparrita Gets its Tables

A year after La Chaparrita had its dining tables removed for violating a zoning ordinance, the small west side bodega is getting them back, along with a slew of conditions courtesy of the Red Bank Zoning Board.

The issue first began when owners of the shop, the Camargos, appeared before the zoning board to protest the application of Juanito’s Market on the grounds that it would hurt smaller shops like theirs. Soon after lodging their complaints in a public forum, zoning officials came to the bodega and told them they could no longer have dining tables at their bodega.

With takeout orders accounting for about 90 percent of their business, Laura Camargo said it was imperative that the shop have a place for diners to stop for a bite to eat. Before the zoning board would allow La Chaparrita to have its three dining tables and chairs back, and be allowed to build a small kitchen expansion, it demanded some changes.

As conditions of approval, the board required Camargo Real Estate LLC to eliminate a storage shed on site, remove landscaping equipment and a trailer kept on site, make cosmetic improvements, and find room for additional parking, among other others.

Several of the conditions have been met, including removal of equipment and giving the building a new paint job. La Chaparrita will be able to put its tables back while it works on the remaining issues.

In another twist, Juan Torres, owner of Juanito’s Market, and his lawyer Martin McGann appeared before the board to offer their support to La Chaparrita and its application.

“We’re here to endorse the project,” McGann said, noting his client’s significant investment in his Shrewsbury Avenue business. “We feel it’s necessary the west side continue to thrive and prosper.

“It’s important to my client that this plan be first class, and look good aesthetically. With (the board’s) help, conditions and resolutions I’m sure it will be a good thing.”