By ADAM SWIFT
PEABODY — The smell of barbecue wafting down Route 1 might not be to everyone’s taste.
Big Pig Barbecue and Catering of Lynnfield is looking to bring its business, complete with a $20,000 smoker, to 108 Newbury St. But residents of the nearby Huntington Woods condominium complex and some city councilors are concerned about odors that might come with the smoker.
On Tuesday, July 18, the City Council will continue a special permit hearing for the catering business. Council President Joel Saslaw said he hopes the business owners have answered questions about the ventilation and heating of the smoker.
Last week, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance for Big Pig being within the buffer zone for Huntington Woods. Although there have been several restaurants at 108 Newbury St. in the past, the special permit from the council is needed to run a catering business out of the building.
Councilor-at-Large Anne Manning Martin said she was concerned about the location and ventilation of the smoker at the business. The smoker is an indoor/outdoor unit attached to the building.
“My main concern is for the residents,” Manning-Martin said. She said it wasn’t clear at the ZBA meeting that the smoker and ventilation would be partly outside.
“This is a new piece of information and I think people should reflect on that,” the councilor-at-large said. “People do not want the smell of smoking meats wafting to their area. This is a valid concern and a concern that was not aired properly at the ZBA.”
Big Pig co-owner Jon Hambrecht said the doors to the smoker are inside the building, with the body and smokestack of the unit outside. He said the smoker has been used at their locations in Wilmington and Lynn with no complaints.
“It’s a fine line between supporting business and also making sure the quality of life of residents is not affected,” said Saslaw.
The residents of Huntington Woods are being sent notices about the July 18 hearing. In addition to additional information about the smoker, the board of health will be visiting the site to vet the odor situation.
In an email to the condominium complex residents, Saslaw said he will be reaching out to the Big Pig owner to see the smoker in full use.
The focus of the business will be on catering, but Hambrecht and co-owner Chris LaBella said the plan is to open up Big Pig to restaurant sales and use the existing drive-through window within the next three to four months.