How About Sandwiches?

In June Kelly Moye faced off with his neighbors about his proposal for an ice cream shop on West Street in a crime-troubled area of the Hill. The Board of Zoning Appeals decided he couldn’t do it. Moye returned to the zoning board Tuesday night with a nearly identical application — except this he’ll sell sandwiches.

Neighbors were back too.

Longtime Hill resident Leslie Radcliffe (at right in photo) reprised her prior objections that faulted Moye for not being able to control drug-dealing specifically in property he owns at 24 Truman St.

Click here for a previous story on her detailed charges and his defense, which included providing up to four jobs for local people.

As to the proposed sandwich shop, ​“such a business would provide excellent cover” for additional drug related activity, she said.

Radcliffe cited information from the Independent’s New Haven Crime Log and the New Haven police showing that thus far in 2010 cops have responded to 137 incidentson Truman Street, 31 calls or 22 percent them from 24 Truman and other properties owned by Moye.

“I have issues with a property owner who turns a blind eye,” she said.

At Tuesday night’s hearing Moye (at left in photo) confessed that there had indeed been drug activity at one of his properties. ​“I did rent to three people. It didn’t work out. They did use drugs. They moved out today,” he said.

Radcliffe went on to say that the tiny size of the proposed store, only about 400 square feet, of the proposed store, provided little community benefit.

Yet her objection focused primarily on what she called Moye’s failure ​“to bring positive change in our neighborhood but in fact has continued to turn a blind eye on the problems of criminal activity from his property.”

“What she stated is very false,” Moye responded.

Technically, the commissioners were advised in their staff report that they need not hear Moye’s application because except for the change from ​“ice cream” to ​“sandwich,” the application was identical to the one that had been rejected by the City Plan Commission in July.

The zoners heard the request anyway. Then they referred the matter to City Plan, which will hear it once again later this month.