Tentative sketch of Elena's On Orange.
An ice cream shop — with alcoholic offerings on tap — is one step closer to materializing on Orange Street, after the Board of Zoning Appeals Tuesday night unanimously approved a parking and alcohol variance.
Elena Grewal, a data scientist who chairs the East Rock Community Management Team, said she hopes to open the ice cream store — Elena’s On Orange, in the former home of Ayah‑H Market at 831 Orange St. — by summertime.
Grewal had applied for a zoning variance that would allow her to provide indoor and outdoor seating without providing parking. She also applied to serve beer and wine at the shop — a request that generated mixed reactions from neighbors, 13 of whom testified both for and against the variance request at the zoning board’s hearing on the matter last month.
On Tuesday, zoning board Chair Mildred Melendez expressed her support for the variance. “There were some concerns regarding the aclohol, but we have alcohol down the street,” Melendez said. “I think it’s kind of a good idea where parents can go sit down, enjoy a glass of wine, while their kids enjoy ice cream.”
“It’s been clear how much the community wants this in the neighborhood,” Grewal told the Independent after the meeting. She said she plans to open the shop by the summer, after renovating the space.
When asked if she’s considering serving beer or wine-flavored ice cream, Grewal replied enigmatically: “We are currently testing different recipes, and will give nothing away.”
Yeah!!