A vacant former tearoom in Carmel Hamlet could soon be transformed into a live performance venue as the Brewster Theater Company seeks approval to relocate its community theater operations in what the group hopes will become a permanent home.
The proposal, which came before the Carmel Planning Board on Wednesday, May 27, would convert the former Florie Kaye’s Tea Room at 69 Gleneida Ave. into a small theater and community arts space.
While board members praised the nonprofit organization and its cultural contributions, planners raised concerns about parking, accessibility, stormwater management and site improvements that will need to be addressed before the application advances to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
“This is a terrific potential operation,” town planning consultant Pat Cleary said during the meeting. “Perfect for what we want in our hamlets.”
According to project architect Stephanie Fox, the renovation would largely focus on interior alterations to create a performance space while preserving the existing structure. Plans also call for ADA-related improvements, updated lighting, landscaping, signage and modifications to the rear parking area.
Fox, whose May 12 submission letter accompanied the application, said the theater company hopes to create a permanent home while keeping costs manageable for the volunteer-run nonprofit.
“The theater is a funded project,” Fox told the board.
The property is located in the Hamlet Mixed Use Center zoning district, where theaters are a permitted use. However, town officials said the project will require several area variances, most notably for parking.
Assistant Building Inspector Ed Spadaro told the board the code requires 57 parking spaces while only 11 are proposed on site, resulting in a requested variance of 46 spaces. Additional variances would also be needed for lot width and loading requirements.
Cleary said the parking issue would likely become the central focus of the review.
“The practical matter is how does it work?” Cleary said. “How do you deal with that during performances?”
Fox and Brewster Theater Company Treasurer Bob Dumont said the organization is already exploring shared parking arrangements with neighboring properties, including discussions with nearby Sayge Law regarding use of adjacent parking lots during evening and weekend performances.
Dumont emphasized that most theater activities occur during off-peak business hours.
“Our shows are Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon,” he said. “At that time, that street is almost always empty.”
The Brewster Theater Company, despite its name, has operated in Carmel for the past decade at Drew Methodist Church farther down Gleneida Avenue. Dumont said the organization stages approximately seven major productions annually, attracting roughly 3,500 patrons each year and involving about 200 volunteers ranging from actors and musicians to stagehands and front-of-house staff.
“We want to stay here [in Carmel],” Dumont said. “We want to see this grow.”
The company’s productions typically draw between 50 and 110 audience members per performance, depending on the show. In addition to plays and musicals, the organization also hosts rehearsals, workshops and children’s theater programs throughout the year.
“We operate basically 50 weeks a year,” Dumont said. “There is stuff happening there every single week.”
Board members also questioned how the former restaurant layout would function as a theater.
Dumont explained that several interior walls would be removed to create an open performance space roughly 75 percent the size of the company’s current theater area at Drew Methodist Church. A former bar area shown on older plans would instead become a flexible meeting room, dressing room and workshop space.
“We’re not looking for a liquor license or a restaurant,” Dumont told the board. “We basically serve popcorn and brownies and soda.”
Town engineer Rich Franzetti noted additional technical issues that still need review, including drainage calculations, lighting spill plans, landscaping details and confirmation that water and sewer capacity will be adequate for theater crowds.
“One of the concerns is intermission,” Cleary added. “There’s a lot of toilets flushing then.”
Fox responded that the project is essentially relocating an already operating theater a short distance down the road and should not significantly increase utility demand.
Accessibility was another major topic of discussion. Fox said the existing building presents challenges because of its split-level configuration and topography. Current plans call for an accessible route to the rear of the building, though access to the front entrance would likely rely on curbside drop-off.
The board also expressed concern over the gravel parking lot at the rear of the property. While Fox suggested the nonprofit hoped to avoid the expense of paving, planners indicated paved parking would likely be required under town code.
“It’s going to be heavily used,” Cleary said. “It should be paved.”
Despite the outstanding issues, board members appeared generally supportive of the proposal and encouraged the applicants to continue refining the plans before seeking zoning variances.
“My recommendation is to get a copy of the comments from the consultants and start reviewing them,” board Chair Craig Paeprer told the applicants. “Get them down to something manageable and then come back and see us.”
Planning officials indicated the proposal could potentially return to the board within weeks to address their concerns before moving on to the Zoning Board of Appeals for the required variances.
On its website, the Brewster Theater Company said its “next big step” is securing a mortgage for its permanent home at the Florie Kaye’s site, which is already under contract.
“After 25 years of being a theater in everyone else’s home, we may finally have a full-time and permanent theater in the heart of Carmel,” the BTC said, adding that it has already raised $200,000 — enough to make a down payment — of its $500,000 goal.
“Our next miracle is to convince the bank that we can fund all the renovations,” the post adds. “As a group of part-time theater lovers who work at this nights, weekends and every spare minute — you might imagine how difficult this will be. As we continue to entertain, we are now preparing all the financial information required for the mortgage and need to raise $150,000 to convert this space into our full-time theater.”
To learn more about the Brewster Theater Company’s efforts to fund a move to a permanent home, visit brewstertheatercompany.org/our-new-home.html.
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