Va. Beach eatery is given more time to comply

VIRGINIA BEACH

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission agreed Tuesday to give businessman Dimitri Hionis an additional six months to work with Virginia Beach officials and obtain all the permits to operate a restaurant off Shore Drive on the Lynnhaven Inlet.

Commission members, however, warned Hionis that they are considering sanctions for his conversion of a deck behind his shellfish market into a restaurant, said John Bull, a VMRC spokesman.

"They're not happy this happened in the first place," Bull said.

Hionis, who also owns Bubba's Seafood Restaurant and Crabhouse and the Lesner Inn along the same stretch, could face up to $18,000 in sanctions, Bull said.

Hionis received a state permit in 2004 to build a deck behind his Shellfish Company so commercial watermen could unload their catch. But when a VMRC official visited the site earlier this year, he discovered that Hionis had converted the deck area into the Back Deck Bar and Cafe.

In March, VMRC officials gave Hionis six months to obtain the necessary health and city permits for the restaurant, and he's been working since with city officials to get inspected and obtain permits. Beach officials are still working with Hionis to ensure adequate handicapped access and sufficient parking, and more time is needed, city officials have said.

The parking issues are complicated by the city's plan to replace the Lesner Bridge. The Beach needs some of Hionis' property for the bridge work and officials are negotiating a land trade that would provide him with adequate parking.

In the meantime, the city has given Hionis a temporary occupancy permit for the restaurant.