New Haven Independent

Her last chance at winning permission to open the store there came before the City Plan Commission Wednesday night. The commission voted her appeal down.

The objections of the City Plan panel echoed those expressed in a draft report from the City Plan department: that nearby Farren Avenue already has another convenience store in the multi-family zone.

Azana, an enterprising Peruvian immigrant whose extended family is involved with the successful Machu Picchu Peruvian restaurant in the area, submitted via letter an appeal stating that her proposed store would not duplicate the services of the one at 86 Farren.

“My store,” she wrote, “will sell products catering particularly to the Peruvian, Ecuadorian, and Mexican populations of the area.” She also said she would provide conveniences such as a bill payments service, which doesn’t exist in the area.

(Click here for a previous article detailing her story.)

Azana has been assisted in her business plan — as well as with translation services — by the Spanish American Merchants’ Association.

Nevertheless City Plan members remained dubious. City Engineer Richard Miller suggested that the proposed location, at Fulton and Quinnipiac, is at a busy intersection where line-of-site clearances from driveways are vital to safety. “We don’t want to encourage people to be turning in and out here,” he said.

Lemar added, “There’s been a lot of recent work here in this neighborhood, and the residential fabric is still fragile; let’s not denigrate the work that’s been done.”

The vote for upholding denial was unanimous. The matter moves to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a final vote.