Fire-Damaged Pocasset, Mass., Restaurant Loses Right to Renovate.

Byline: Kevin Dennehy

Oct. 7--POCASSET, Mass.--The vintage dining car was a landmark at the Otis Rotary for decades, but for three years it has been little more than an eyesore.

"After 24 years, I shouldn't have to ask for permission to put in there something that has been there so long." Claire Bergeron, owner of fire-damaged diner.

For Claire Bergeron, the charred shell of the diner's exterior serves as a painful reminder of the cold November night when flames engulfed My Tinman Diner.

A fire set by the estranged husband of a restaurant employee gutted one of Cape Cod's most popular greasy spoons. The building has been boarded up ever since as Bergeron sought an insurance settlement.

But after finally receiving the settlement, Bergeron was surprised to learn that town officials declared the diner abandoned property, which means she cannot renovate the restaurant without a …