MARION — The new owners of the former Stone Rooster in Marion are closer than ever to opening a restaurant and bar following a July 19 meeting of the Marion Select Board, but residents on nearby River Road are asking the town for assurances that parking won’t be an issue. 

Restaurateurs John Mello and Joe Sauro, owners of Gilda’s Stone Rooster, which will now be known as The River Junction following a vote by the Marion Select Board, estimate that they are three to four weeks from opening. 

“The building is almost done,” said Mello. “We’ve done this a couple times and whenever we get to this stage, we say a couple more weeks but usually it’s longer than that.”

The pair jointly own The Stowaway in Mattapoisett and Sauro is the owner of the Gateway Tavern in Wareham.

In May 2021, the Select Board approved a liquor license for the establishment. 

At Wednesday’s meeting the Marion Select Board approved a common victualler license, allowing The River Junction to operate as a restaurant, and a license for automated amusement, which will take the form of coin operated games, said Mello.

“We always planned on having food,” said Mello. “We have an annex that isn’t really suitable for seating so we’re [going to put] a couple coin operated games there.”

The restaurant will be open from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. and will seat 46 and have 26 parking spaces, said Mello. 

But Chris Collings, a resident of River Road who spoke on behalf of concerned residents, is worried that guests to The River Junction may park on River Road and block access to the street for residents and emergency vehicles. 

“While we are in complete support of an excellent business … we have yet to see formal plans from the town of how [parking] is going to be managed for River Road,” said Collings.

“Unfortunately, because it’s not on the agenda we can’t have the deliberative process, but as we discussed this morning there will be a follow-on meeting to address exactly what you’re concerned about,” said Marion Town Administrator Geoff Gorman, citing Massachusetts Open Meeting Law regulations. 

According to Collings, parking was an issue in the past when the Stone Rooster was owned by Gilda Downing.

“We’re concerned about the experiences we had occasionally when Gilda would have her parties,” said Collings. “These aren’t imagined concerns, and it only takes two cars at the entrance to River Road to make it almost impossible for any vehicle, much less an emergency vehicle to come down.”

Collings suggested “simple things” like a no parking area from the corner of River Road and Route 6 to the first property line. 

Marion Select Board member Randy Parker noted that over 12 intersections in Marion village have this kind of parking restriction. 

Parker offered possible solutions including signs marking a 500-foot no parking area at the top of River Road.

Gorman suggested having a “small group meeting” with residents of River Road, representatives from the Marion Fire and Police Departments and a member of the Marion Department of Public Works to discuss issues with parking on River Road. 

“When we’re ready to present a plan … when we have a solution, which we don’t have right now, then in open meeting, the correct way [and] posted onto an agenda we will put it to the Select Board for their authorization,” said Gorman.

If a parking plan is agreed upon and ready, said Gorman, then it could potentially be voted on at the next regular meeting of the Marion Select Board. 

The River Junction still needs to undergo further construction and inspections before it is ready to open, said Mello.