Michael Psikarakis says he is trying to come to grips with how negotiations over the development of the site of Bert’s – the ruin of a restaurant near the entrance to Long Beach that he and his family own – deteriorated into an order from the town to tear it down. The move, Psikarakis said, caught him off guard.
On July 31, the town sent two notices to the owners of Bert’s. One requires them to secure the property, the other instructs them to raze the highly visible eyesore.
The owners’ attorney, Bill Sims, said they are working to satisfy the town’s demands and will be filing an application shortly for demolition of the building.
Sims said the first floor has been secured and the owners have hired a fence company to secure the perimeter of the property.
The town orders came after the Select Board asked Town Manager Derek Brindisi to determine what action could be taken to remove the building, which has been vacant for 12 years.
Psikarakis said the family for years had been talking to town officials about their plans for the site, which culminated in a 2024 proposal for a raised four-story building with a restaurant, lounge, and decks. That plan cost the family tens of thousands of dollars to put together, he said.
Key to the project going forward was the family being able to lease the town-owned parking lot adjacent to Long Beach. Psikarakis said officials told the family that renting the lot would not be a problem. But once there was a development plan for the site, he said, it could not get an answer on how much it would cost to lease the lot.
“And when we made an offer, they said that wasn’t enough,” he said. The family asked how much would be adequate, “and they gave us some kind of ridiculous numbers just in conversation.” He did not disclose what those figures were.
Psikarakis said officials then asked if the family would be willing to sell the property to the town. It was at this point, he said, that it became clear that officials were not interested in leasing the parking lot to the family.
“So we just kind of abandoned that whole big project,” Psikarakis said.
That was in May, he said.
“We were waiting for a response from the town because we were told that they were waiting to do some more research,” he said.
Now the family is working on a scaled down project that would use the smaller parking lot on the Bert’s property, he said. He declined to provide details but said the project would include a restaurant and that planning is only in the initial stage.
Psikarakis said the family was surprised by the two notices from the town last week asking them to secure the building and raze it. Brindisi had told the Select Board that the family had 60 days to complete the demolition. The order, which the Independent has seen, does not prescribe a timeline for finishing the demolition, but Sims said town officials verbally told the family it had 60 days. Officials and the family agree on proceeding swiftly, he said.
Brindisi remembers the negotiations over development of the site somewhat differently. He said the last time town officials spoke to Psikarakis and his attorney was in December or January, when they were discussing the previously unveiled plans for a four-story structure. The Select Board decided it was not interested in leasing the parking lot, Brindisi said.
“We use this parking lot all through the summer months for our residents to go to Plymouth Beach,” Brindisi said.
Select Board members Charlie Bletzer and Dick Quintal were present at the informal meeting. Bletzer, who lost his re-election bid in May, confirmed Brindisi’s recollection.
Brindisi said town officials asked Psikarakis for a written proposal specifying how much the family would be willing to pay to lease the lot but never received that proposal.
The disagreement over the lot, however, appears to now be moot.
Sims said the owners are moving toward a project on the site and should be able to present plans to town officials “within a couple of weeks.” Like his client, he declined to provide details.
Fred Thys can be reached at fred@plymouthindependent.org