By CHRIS COLLINS
(Sunderland, MA) — Sunderland restaurants will now be able to sell groceries. The Sunderland Selectboard has voted to allow restaurants to sell grocery items, under certain conditions, for as long as the COVID 19 state of emergency remains in place in Massachusetts.
“We need to find ways to do whatever we can to support our local businesses,” Sunderland Planning Board Chair Dana Roscoe said.
The new regulations grew out of a request by the owners of the Blue Heron Restaurant, who had asked to be allowed to sell certain grocery items outside their Route 47 eatery, which has been closed since the governor issued the emergency order to close all non-essential businesses. The selectboard vote temporarily suspends the zoning which prevents such sales, but requires that restaurant owners looking to sell groceries to submit a plan for review by the town’s board of health. Any grocery sales must be for take-out only, and the regulations do not allow eateries to operate “brick and mortar” grocery facilities.
Grocery sales by restaurants will be allowed until August 1, unless the state of emergency order is lifted before then.