By Thane Grauel
WESTPORT — Some neighbors of the Old Mill Grocery have appealed a zoning official’s decision to sign a liquor permit application for Romanacci, the latest restaurant operating there.
The Planning and Zoning Commission, in a split decision June 3, voted to grant a text amendment to zoning regulations that would enable the business at 222 Hillspoint Road to serve beer and wine. Two weeks later, Planning and Zoning Director Mary Young signed a state Liquor Permit Application for Romanacci Compo Beach LLC, giving local zoning authority approval for what was said to be “retail food establishment, no more than 10 seats.”
The text amendment application was controversial, and many people wrote to the commission, and testified at hearings, on both sides of the issue.
At the final meeting, lawyer Joel Green of Bridgeport also testified on behalf of some neighbors. He had a list of things he believed were wrong with the text amendment.
“You cannot, in the jurisdiction vested in this commission, start adopting regulations on a site-by-site basis,” Green said June 3.
“This amendment isn’t something that’s well thought out,” he said. “I can assure you that any positive action on this amendment would never withstand judicial scrutiny and an appeal. And I don’t think you should put the taxpayers of Westport to the burden of defending an appeal.”
On Tuesday, Green filed a Zoning Board of Appeals appeal application. It was posted on the zoning department’s website a few days later.
His clients are Robin Tauck of 227 Hillspoint Road LLC and Hillspoint Road LLC (223 Hillspoint) and Ellen van Dorsten of 216 Hillspoint Road, according to a legal authorization form.
“For over one hundred years, a store selling groceries, pantry staples and related items has been located at 222 Hillspoint Road in Westport,” a document filed with the appeal reads. “The Subject Property has never been used for the sale and on-premised consumption of alcoholic beverages.”
It goes on to list many reasons the appellants are aggrieved, including those mentioned earlier by Green.
The appeal does not yet appear on a ZBA agenda. Typically, if an appeal is unsuccessful, the applicant can drop the matter or take it to the courts.
Thane Grauel grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond for 36 years. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.
Here they go again.
Your point being ?
Here’s who goes again. ? There you go again ! Another nasty annoying comment you’ve made about the neighbors.
Oh the immediate affected neighbors who have no interest in being subjected to a change of use which will mean noise and drunk patrons.
Can hardly blame them now can you !
Elvira’s is a market/deli ! Nothing more nothing less.
It’s not a restaurant. Nor should it EVER be. And according to law if taken to court nor will it ever be.. IT IS NOT A RESTAURANT.
I’m sorry but where do you get off preaching and bad mouthing about the residents who live closest to it, who simply know this will change their quality of life ? Clearly some history there ! Lol.
Only they know how this will affect their quality of life.. and it is NONE of your business.
it does not matter how it effects 1000 who live nearby. Just because it does not affect them.
It matters how it affects these particular neighbors.
And they have said NO.
So NO it is.
And the law also says NO.
It is a market ! Not a bar.
You own a restaurant, right? Should I presume that if this place sold booze it would (on some level) negatively impact your business?
(I live on Cottage Lane, behind a plaza with a marijuana dispensary, a pizza place that sells booze, and a liquor store. Quietest bunch of neighbors that I’ve had in thirty years.)
This has absolutely nothing to do with my business. In fact why you would assume it did is bizarre ! My business is miles away from them.
Here’s the problem
This is a deli and market.
In a neighborhood. And I used live there.
It’s not in town, or in a plaza.
And no it does not impact on me at all. I no longer even live down in that area.
The point is that it is and always has been a deli and market.
It is not a restaurant or pub !
But that is assuredly what it and its brown nosing supporters are looking to turn it into.
So should the closest neighbors just suck it up ? Because a bunch of the Nancy supporters drink at rizuttos by the railroad ? No they should not ! Those supporters should in fact have zero say.
No ! They should absolutely NOT.
It’s preposterous to even entertain this crap !
The closest neighbors spoke. They said no !
End of story.. leave it as it has always been .. a deli/market.
And for people to call vitriol on the only affected neighbors is out of control.
But that’s why we have judges sitting on benches to settle this kind of abuse of the law.
Thank god for deep pockets and the law.
So, if I understood the basis of your first comment / post / rant, it was captured in this portion: “only they [the “immediate affected neighbors”] know how this will affect their quality of life. . and it is NONE of your business. It does not matter how it affects 1000 who live nearby.”
Any keyboard warrior can confirm that you don’t “live nearby” and you have subsequently confirmed that “you USED to live there.” Not that I agree with your new rule restricting those who are allowed to comment on a Westport land use topic (“only those who live nearby can offer a comment”) but why wouldn’t your rule apply to . . . you?
For the record, you could have appeared at the properly noticed June 3rd P&Z meeting and shared your thoughts on the matter. They don’t enforce your “only nearby residents can voice an opinion” rule.
Hahahaha.. another person who thinks it’s the towns business what happens in somebody’s backyard.
No I do not live there anymore.
But I did and I do not think it is any of the business of the “nearby residents what happens when compared with the actual next door neighbors. It simply is NOT !
It’s quite simple.
It is a market.
So leave it a market..
sorry there’s more money to be made out of alcohol.. this we know..
sorry that Tait n Izzo et al predictably drink at romanaccis. Aka, let’s rally for our buds !
Nope.
It’s a neighborhood.. head to kawani or the whelk or 99 bottles for your supplies..
lmao.. so yes, my post/rant/keyboard warrior status all intact and very very proud of it.
If only more people would speak up for what is very clearly right and very very clearly wrong. Or for that matter put their money where their mouth is.
It’s a beautiful thing let me tell you.
So the romanaccis bar buddies can stay down there beside the train station and the “immediate” neighbors should yes, have allllllll the say in what happens to that market after all they are the only ones effected.
Quite bizarre you don’t get that. Actually.
In fact incredibly bizarre !
To be honest, you are the one who wants to make it the Town’s business as to what happens in backyards… where you don’t live. And, to be honest, ANY additional sales of liquor in Town impacts your business negatively, on some level.
Why should someone in the neighborhood have to drive to The Whelk (or Nômade) to consume alcohol on-premise or drive to 99 Bottles to purchase off-premise, when there is a perfectly reasonable place in the neighborhood to which they can walk? It’s as if you are arguing on behalf of behavior that increases DUI. As you might say, incredibly bizarre.
Because it is not a bar !!!!! It is a market ? It’s like turning McDonald’s into the duck, and that’s not ok.
Nobody is complaining about the status quo
What are you talking about that I’m making it the towns business what happened in back yards.
I’m sorry I see a judgement in favour of the neighbors.
If i were a neighbor I’d fund it myself.
It is preposterous that people not directly affected by this yet in the “inner circle” can tell or bully immediate neighbors to acquiesce to turning a simple and successful country market into a bar.
Again ! It’s a law suit !
And a law suit they would win … without any shadow of a doubt.
But you aren’t a neighbor. You are a Westport business owner and it looks as if the only reason you are interested is that it is bad for your business. How hypocritical is that?
Chris, by that insinuation I’d be against every business opening in Westport within 5 square miles. Which I am vehemently not against.
The old mill “Elvira’s” has zero to do with my business.i mean absolutely zero. I am miles away. It could not be more irrelevant !
So how do you imagine in your very small brain that my defense of the neighbors and the their “quiet enjoyment” of their properties is about my business ? How ? In fact were I to look at moving house and wanted to live down by the vicinity of that market I’d not even look or deeply discount living next door to these cowboys !
How has that got anything to do with changing the zoning of a market to a bar ? Because the immediate neighbors are the only ones effected per se
And again how has that change that only adversely affects the immediate neighbors got anything to do with the other thousand who think it’s amazing ! I mean of course they do.. it won’t effect their “quiet enjoyment” of their properties..
how infinitely selfish !
And pre covid ! Wait for this !!!! If a single neighbor had a problem with even a variance the ZBA, was the first to say, hang on this effects this neighbor.
Not the 100 others !
So again ! Nobody’s saying don’t run your market !
Nobody’s saying close down old mill !
But the immediate neighbors are saying we don’t like this new “bar” direction ! And let me tell you Chris, 3 years ago it would have been SHUT DOWN ! And rightly so
This is outrageous and underhanded mis application/illegal application to cherry pick based upon friends and friends of friends something that has always been deemed utterly unacceptable.