Booze Bid Denied For Car Shop Soccer Club

By Mona Mahadevan, New Haven Independent

NEW HAVEN, CT — An auto repair shop came up short in its proposal to serve alcohol to members of a predominately Caribbean soccer club — after the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) sided with neighbors who warned that after-hours gatherings would bring excess noise and rowdiness to Whalley.

The 4 – 1 vote came out of the BZA’s latest monthly meeting Tuesday night, held in person at City Hall and online via Zoom. Board member Gemini Rorie cast the sole dissenting vote.

BZA Chair Mildred Melendez led the motion to deny a special exception requested by Emerson Armstrong to allow for the sale of alcohol with no live entertainment “in an existing cafe that is an accessory-use to an automotive establishment” at 223 Whalley, to quote from the zoning board’s agenda.

Melendez explained that she could not support a plan that might prevent Whalley residents from feeling safe at night.

“I’m not gonna confine anyone to their home at 9 o’clock at night,” she said. “You should be able to walk whenever you want.”

Armstrong — the owner of BIM Automotive Sales, Service, & Bodywork at 223 Whalley Ave. — had sought permission to sell alcohol in his shop’s unused cafe space. He envisioned the shop as a place for the 22 members of the Hawks Football Club, a registered charity, to watch soccer on an 85-inch TV, celebrate or mourn after games, and share traditional Caribbean food.

A former professional soccer player who played for the University of New Haven Chargers, Armstrong, who is originally from Barbados, is a devoted soccer fan and coach of the Hawks.

The club, affiliated with the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association, once sponsored teams for both children and adults. But the expense of running the youth program grew too high, and at his wife’s urging, Armstrong shut it down. He now covers the costs of the adult squad himself and told the board Tuesday that proceeds from alcohol sales would help revive the youth program and sustain the current team.

Attorney Ben Trachten, representing Armstrong, described the significance of the proposal to Caribbean and West Indian communities. He also referenced 50 letters of support for the auto shop’s bid to sell alcohol.

“Drinking alcohol while watching games and celebrating victories and championships is part of the culture,” he explained.“The cafe is envisioned to be a gathering place for adult soccer supporters during these highly limited hours.”

Specifically, Armstrong and Trachten called for serving alcohol to members only, on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m., with the traditional cafe operating during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays).

According to his application to the BZA, in 2018, Armstrong obtained the requisite permissions to sell food and equipped the 1,250-square-foot space with tables, a kitchen, and other service equipment. He clarified Wednesday that the cafe has yet to open.

In a follow-up interview, Armstrong said he feels frustrated about the BZA’s quick denial, explaining that the board’s decision was based on misleading representations of his business.

“The people there are controlling what’s going on in our community,” he said. “But they’re not the ones walking down Whalley Avenue.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, two Whalley neighbors spoke against the liquor permit request.

“They’ve already had parties starting at 10 o’clock,” said longtime resident Alex Taylor. “They’re already serving liquor as of March.” According to Taylor, “a couple of years ago” she spotted a group of 10 to 15 people in front of the business with red Solo cups. She also claimed that social media posts would confirm the business’s history of hosting late-night parties.

“I unfortunately have no confidence in the business to say, okay, let’s give them a shot,” Taylor concluded. “They’ve already had their shot.”

Armstrong’s daughter refuted Taylor’s claims and requested proof of late-night parties.

“The things she’s talking about has nothing to do with BIM Automotive repair,” she said, pointing to stores like Sam’s as the problem, not BIM. “The things that previous business owners [did] should not hurt what the up-and-coming business owners are trying to do,” she stressed.

Whalley, Edgewood, and Beaver Hills (WEB) Community Management Team Chair Rebecca Cramer spoke next, commending Armstrong for “thinking creatively about how to use the space” but adding that he had not reached out to the WEB Community Management Team to solicit feedback.

Then, she shared her screen on Zoom and scrolled through Facebook posts from 2017 and 2018 that mentioned 223 Whalley Ave. “One advertised ladies free till midnight and $10 after,” she said. “Another advertised a monthly dance party the last Friday of each month.” When the New Haven Register reported on the liquor-sales application, she added, people commented about having attended parties at the shop.

She acknowledged that keeping the club private would alleviate her concerns but said, “I don’t know what would prevent them being open to other people, and returning to this kind of nightclub usage.”

Trachten countered that the zoning laws in 2017 and 2018 may have allowed BIM to throw late-night parties with alcohol.

He also acknowledged that the project had not been presented to the WEB Community Management Team but said it still received 50 letters of support. One notable letter came from next-door neighbor Midwestern Connecticut Council of Alcoholism (MCAA), which provides treatment to people with alcohol addiction.

“We believe the proposed cafe use is appropriate for the neighborhood and will add vitality and activity to the area,” wrote MCAA CEO John D’Eramo. “[W]e are confident that our respective operations can coexist in a manner that supports community development and public health.”

Among the other letters, residents noted needing a place to “keep people out of trouble” and host “social and cultural events.” One person wrote that the cafe would be a “safe environment” for people to go on the weekends.

On Wednesday, Armstrong claimed that the shop had never thrown late-night parties and that none of the social media posts advertising those events had been created by BIM.

He and and his brother, Henderson Toppin, also speculated that the board misunderstood the distance between the repair shop and houses.

“We could play music, and no one would hear,” said Armstrong, while gesturing to the large parking lot separating the shop from the nearest house.

Taking a step back, Toppin described the rejection as “oxymoronic” given the huge liquor store, Beverage Boss, just across the street.

Armstrong added that unlike Beverage Boss or The Coffee Pedaler, which received approval for a tavern license from the BZA the same night, BIM’s cafe would serve traditional Caribbean meals alongside alcohol, preventing people from getting too drunk.

While they’re still deciding on their next steps, Armstrong and Toppin are both interested in appealing the board’s denial. Until then, they’re considering opening the cafe and just selling juice, smoothies, and ice cream. But they worry that the operation won’t survive without longer hours and alcohol sales.

“On what authority did they make this decision?” Armstrong asked the Independent on Wednesday. Shaking his head, he said, “Hartford has a West Indies social club, Bridgeport has a West Indies social club — why can’t we?”

The New Haven Independent is a not-for-profit public-interest daily news site founded in 2005.