New Haven Independent

Sidi appeared before the BZA on Tuesday night on behalf of Andy Sacco, who wants to open a “swap shop” at 206 Dixwell Ave. The vacant Dixwell Plaza retail space is owned by Sidi’s father, Nizar Sidi.

Sidi (pictured) told the board that the new business will sell new and used household items — including power tools, radios, mp3 players, and furniture — both in the store and on the internet, via eBay. The store’s inventory will be comprised mostly of wholesale lot purchases, but the business will also sell used items purchased from walk-in customers

The walk-in feature was a point of contention for Dixwell neighbors, who are concerned that such an operation would be too close to a pawn shop and would contribute to “delinquency” in the neighborhood.

Sidi made a clear distinction between the new business, which buys used items outright, and a pawn shop, which takes items as collateral for short-term loans. He said that half of the business’ retail sales would be done on eBay and half out of the store’s showroom.

At the end of the night, the board granted Sidi’s request, with several conditions designed to keep the new business on a short leash, including facade improvements and limited hours.

The business will be the second of its kind for proprietor Andy Sacco, who operates the Route 80 Exchange on Foxon Road in East Haven, a store that also sells used and new goods online and in-house. Sidi said that the new store on Dixwell Avenue is yet to be named.

Opposition

In addition to two letters of opposition sent in by Dixwell business owners, two individuals at the meeting spoke out against the new store.

Pastor William Philpot (pictured) of the Christ Chapel New Testament Church said that his congregation has been working on increasing the quality of life in the Dixwell neighborhood. A store like the one proposed would run counter to his efforts, he argued. He said that a store that buys used goods would create an incentive to steal items in order to make some quick cash.

“Pawn shops many times accept items stolen in the area,” said the pastor. The new business would cause an “increase in delinquency because people will steal in order to get money.”

“I believe this is not going to be for the good of our community,” Pastor Philpot concluded. His sentiments were echoed by Dixwell resident Johnny Williams.

“We are not a pawn shop,” said Sidi, when it was his turn to respond. “It is not our intention to be a pawn shop.” He said that purchasing used goods would be just a small part of the business and that the new shop would improve the community by filling a vacant space and creating jobs.

The board wanted to know how the new business would ensure that it wasn’t buying stolen goods when purchasing items for resale. Sidi explained that the business would be required to keep detailed records for each secondhand item that it takes in, including a photocopy of the seller’s ID and his or her name and address.

“The idea is to provide an opportunity for neighbors to purchase items at a discount,” Sidi said after the meeting. He described the new business as a smaller version of stores like Ocean State Job Lot, which purchase discount wholesale lots of a variety of items.

Sidi said that the new store has the potential “to help alleviate crime in the area” by bringing in customers and traffic to the Dixwell Plaza.

Control

“I’m going to suggest we deny this,” said BZA Chair Cathy Weber, at the beginning of the board’s discussion of the item. A few minutes later, she changed her mind. She said she decided it would be better to retain some control over the operation by approving and imposing number of specific conditions.

“If you were to deny, he’d still be able to do everything he said, other than buy off the street,” said Tom Talbot, the city’s deputy zoning director.

“So since he was nice enough to come to us… we could approve it and make him come back,” said Weber.

Felipe Pastore, the board’s advising attorney, pointed out that a vote of approval would allow the board to impose conditions on the running of the business.

“We’re good at doing that,” Weber said.

A short discussion yielded several conditions. The business must rehabilitate the facade; it cannot have blinking lights or sidewalk displays; it cannot become a pawn shop without further zoning relief; it will be open no later than 7 p.m. and closed on Sundays. Condition number six requires the applicant to apply for administrative review for each of the next three years.

“I like that,” said Weber.

“Condition number six really makes sure everything’s going to be all right,” said Pastore.

The proposal received the board’s unanimous conditional approval.