After a second trip to the Select Board, the liquor license for Jordan Hitch’s building on 321 Elm was approved.

While technically approved at their Aug. 3 meeting, board members did so with a caveat, requesting that a floor plan with reduced seating be submitted by the end of September.

During the Aug. 3 meeting, two abutters living at 329 Elm, James O’Day and Alan Gambrell, addressed concerns with the square footage of the outdoor patio, which they felt might lead to a noise issue. Gambrell suggested that Little Moss, which seats 30 outside, be a benchmark for the upper limit of outdoor seating across businesses in Padanaram.

The initial application stated that the restaurant would have 105 seats, 40 of which would be outside, making 321 Elm have a higher number of seats than The Sail Loft, Little Moss and Black Bass Grille.

Peter Bullard, an attorney representing Hitch, said Hitch had worked with his architect to make adjustments to the floor plan.

“Because of the Board’s concerns, [Hitch] has made some material concessions to the original plan,” said Bullard. “The total square footage of the restaurant has been reduced from 2,200 to 1,200 feet.”

He said the total number of seats dropped from 105 to 68. Outdoor patio seating dropped from 40 to 32. Bullard said a hedgerow will be added around the patio in an attempt to reduce noise.

“In the future, if there is a problem on site, neighbors have every right to complain to the Select Board,” he said.

Select Board Chair Shawn McDonald said he was happy to see Hitch had the number of seats reduced and the addition of a barrier to help reduce noise.

“Now the only thing left is to see how it plays out,” said McDonald.

Bullard said that currently the concept for the restaurant is leaning toward informal, featuring counter service, not table service. He said Hitch has been approached by several people with restaurant experience, but solidifying a potential tenet will likely happen once the building comes closer to completion.

The 321 Elm restaurant location, located on the corner of Elm and Bridge Streets, is currently under construction and won’t be finished until next spring.

Down the street, at 7-9 Bridge Street, a building permit was secured about a month ago and the old building has been recently demolished to make way for a new 6,800 square foot, two-story building. The first floor will be used for retail space and a market. The second floor will be used for three condominiums with off-street parking.

The manager of the building was John Lofberg, but during Monday's Select Board meeting, Bullard, also a representative for the business, had that changed to Lisa Lofberg.

On Aug. 3, the Select Board approved a package store license for the location, which would enable the market to sell bottled wine or six packs of beer. Customers would not be able to consume liquor inside the market, however.

“If I had to guess, the first floor will probably be done by next September or October,” said Bullard.

“It’s great to drive through the village and see all this activity,” he added. “The community support has been terrific.”