What Branciforte really said

One ZBA Commissioner who has (in GA's opinion) been unfairly maligned in the "Shake Shack" controversy, is Vice Chair John Branciforte.

That's because his statement "Shake Shack, I could really care less about, to tell you the truth" was pulled out of context by Councilman Defusco, who spread it on social media (Facebook and Twitter)  purposely, to dishonestly represent the reason 107-111 Washington Street's variances were denied.

Here are Branciforte's closing remarks in full, so it's clear his vote was not based on "not caring about Shake Shack" as DeFusco suggested by selectively pulling that quote out of context.

You know, I go way back on this Board, how many times a developer comes in front of the Board and says, you know, I am not putting a nail salon there. I am not putting whatever there, and then the thing opens up, and it's a nail salon. Or how many times I've heard two projects in particular, where we were promised like the best restaurant for this area that really needs a great restaurant, and then it turns into a bar, you know, a beer joint. Shake Shack, I could really care less about, to tell you the truth. They come and go. It doesn't matter to me. There's lots of places to get burgers on Washington Street. I will talk more about -- I just don't like the increase and the intensity of use that Court Street is going to have to go under. We don't know -- the traffic engineer doesn't know if Shake Shack is going to have a delivery service. If they do, there could be two to three cars double parked out front, or you know, parked on Court Street constantly. That wasn't included in the traffic study, the number of trips that the delivery guy would have to make every day. Not to mention the delivery trucks, right now I am guessing Walgreens uses their parking lot for deliveries. I don't know where those trucks are going to go. They're going to be parked on Court Street. The apartments -- 14 apartments are going to empty out onto Court Street. Fed Ex deliveries, like Mr. Johnson said -- thank you for bringing that up -- moving trucks, mail -- a postal service truck is going to have to be parked out there while they deliver to 14 residences, not to mention the fact that, like you just said, with all of the problems of the bars downtown, that alleyway going from Court Street to the back entrance of the building, that's going to turn into a toilet. I mean, it really is. A dark alleyway on Court Street, it's just -- there's so much wrong with this. But I have to go back to the lot coverage, and I agree with what Carol was talking about. Yeah, I'm just -- I am open to hearing what everybody else has to say.