New Haven Independent

Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Peter Troiano and Angela Todara, SCSU’s director of residential life, came to a Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) hearing Tuesday night to say there already were enough bars in Westville. They joined Westville neighborhood activists who also showed up to send the same message.

At issue was the BZA’s review of Carlos Pena’s proposal to re-open the former Jacks or Better site, 50 Fitch St., as a 72-seat bar/restaurant. Pena seeks a variance to serve liquor and to provide live entertainment.

Last month (click here for that story), the hearing was deferred because the City Clerk’s office had not successfully notified all the affected residents near 50 Fitch as required by ordinance. At Monday night’s meeting, Pena’s lawyer, Nicholas Mingione, withdrew the proposal yet again for the same technical reason. So the hearing was postponed until the next BZA meeting, Nov. 12.

Although the postponement of the hearing meant they couldn’t testify publicly yet, the two SCSU officials shared their thoughts with a reporter.

“Only 20 percent of our student body is of legal drinking age; 80 percent is not,” Troiano said. “As any college administrator will tell you, we’re deeply concerned about our kids’ drinking patterns.”

Troiano said that it is his impression that Pena’s bar will be mainly about drinking, with what he called “light fare” to accompany it.

That was the concern of Westville activist Thea Buxbaum (pictured with fellow supporter Eric Epstein) as well.

“Look,” Troiano said. “There are already bars in Westville. We have to question whether another one is a good thing.”

Pena has said that part of the reason for opening 50 Fitch is to keep money in Westville by offering an opportunity for students to spend it not downtown but at a local establishment.

When Troiano’s 20/80 percent remarks were conveyed to him, Pena answered by way of a capsule business plan:

“20 percent legal? OK, do you happen to know how many kids go to Southern? Answer is 15,000. What’s 20 percent of 15,000? That’s 3,000. Now, how many seats in my restaurant? That would be 72 seats. What kind of penetration do I need into that group to make my place successful? I’d say 100 of those kids once a week, and it’ll work.”

Relationship Goes South

Last month, Pena and concerned neighbors had a constructive initial dialogue. Pena and local activists such as Buxbaum agreed to discuss the character of the restaurant, with Pena promising a calm business.

Positions appear to have hardened in subsequent weeks. In email messages to the community, and in remarks Tuesday night, Buxbaum called Pena’s proposal “simply inconsistent with the kind of ‘Main Street’ values we want in Westville.” By that she meant a pedestrian- and family-friendly community where people feel comfortable going out at night.

Pena said he met with Buxbaum as well as the police officials in New Haven and at Southern. “We talked,” he said, “about controlling crowds inside and outside the restaurant. And our management plan does that.”

Buxbaum concluded that his focus was not family entertainment but targeting students.