Orange County — Board of Zoning Adjustment

VA-24-08-062 — Siddharth Kaul for Marabou Restaurant

Request: Variance in the C-2 zoning district to allow a 2COP license for the consumption of beer and wine on premises located 616 ft. from a religious institution in lieu of 1,000 ft.

Decision: Denied

Hearing: SYNOPSIS: Staff described the proposal, including the location of the property, the site plan, and photos of the site. Staff provided an analysis of the six (6) criteria and the reasons for a recommendation for approval. Staff noted that seven (7) comments were received in support, and five (5) comments were received in opposition. The applicant agreed with the staff presentation and briefly mentioned the desire for a full-service restaurant that includes the consumption of beer and wine with the patron¿s meals. Furthermore, noted the desire for additional revenue with the added item. There were three (3) in attendance to speak in opposition of the request and discussed safety concerns and the grade schools in close proximity to the subject site. Also, briefly mentioned there are enough businesses in the surrounding area that serve beer and wine. There was no one in attendance to speak in favor of the request. The BZA discussed the inconsistency of the requested variance with a similar prior request, determining the proposal is an intrusion to the surrounding community and did not meet the six (6) variance criteria. The BZA unanimously recommended denial of the Variance by a 4-0 vote, with two absent and one seat vacant.