Onset area residents showed support for a controversial expansion of the Stonebridge Bistro on June 27.

John Cornish, the owner of the Stonebridge Bistro restaurant property at 5 East Boulevard in Onset, went in front of the Zoning Board of Appeals during a public hearing to ask for permission to build a deck on the back of the restaurant.

Onset experiences a cramped parking situation with many residents having only on-street parking spaces and virtually no businesses having designated parking spaces to meet customers’ needs. During the summer months, an influx of summer residents and touristsmakes the problem worse.

The Stonebridge Bistro can currently seat 75 patrons inside. With the addition of a 45-seat deck, the restaurant will have a capacity of 120 patrons.

At a public hearing on December 20 of last year, neighbors expressed opposition to the expansion.

This time, however, many residents spoke in support of the addition.

“I’ve watched Onset rise and fall,” said Onset resident Layne White. “I’m really pushing for this deck, so that Onset can rise again — to the height of its past.”

East Wareham resident Deborah Alfonso agreed.

“I think when we look at the community as a whole, we need positive businesses in Onset that will make our communities grow,” she said.

While the vast majority of the speakers supported the Stonebridge expansion, two East Boulevard residents voiced their concerns about increased noise, parking, and other issues that could come with the deck and additional customers.

“You have 40 people on the deck, it’s just the nature of the beast, people talking and having a few drinks … but when [the noise] comes across the water at 10 to 11 o’clock at night, it’s going to disturb the neighbors,” said East Boulevard resident Richard Greig, referring to noise traveling across the East River.

Cornish said during the hearing that the restaurant did not have plans to have any music or entertainment on the deck. The Stonebridge Bistro is owned by Justin Hadley, who could not attend the hearing because he also serves as chef at the restaurant.

East Boulevard resident Thomas McManus echoed Greig’s sentiments and expressed concern about parking.

“The bottom line is that there is no extra parking available for the planned expansion on this site,” said McManus.

McManus also was concerned about whether the public hearing was properly advertised in local Wareham newspapers, a necessary step.

Kenneth Ferreira, chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, said that he would look into the matter, but that statements made at the hearing would still be entered into the record even if the hearing was not properly advertised.

Regarding parking, Cornish explained that the business had been taking adequate steps to address the issue, including securing six evening parking spaces at a facility next door to the restaurant.

But Cornish also added that, unlike other Onset restaurants, his property already had spaces dedicated for customer parking.

“There is no other restaurant in [Onset] that has any parking designated for their restaurant,” he said.

Ultimately, many attendees expressed hope that Stonebridge would be allowed to build its proposed deck despite Onset’s issues with parking.

“I just want to say as a resident I can’t see how this would be anything but a plus for Onset,” said Eleanor Martin, president of the Onset Bay Association.

“Parking is an issue for the whole village for every store,” she added. “The town has to get real and do something about the parking situation.”

The Zoning Board of Appeals voted to continue the public hearing to July 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Cafeteria.