NEW HAVEN — The town of New Haven has cited Porky’s Backyard BBQ & Smokehouse for three alleged violations of its business permit.
According to the Aug. 23 Notice of Zoning Violation (NoV) letter written by New Haven zoning administrator Aaron Brown to Porky’s co-owner Lonie Parker, the business has been using an outdoor pavilion without a certificate of occupancy, serving liquor (hard spirits) without a license to do so and hosting more events per month than are allowed in its permit.
The business has been the subject of a number of complaints since last winter.
At the March 18 meeting of the Development Review Board, when Parker requested four changes to the business’ existing site plan, residents Bob Beach, Paul Bolduc and Rita Booska expressed concerns about noise and light emanating from the business at night, especially on evenings when there were bands playing live music.
In a follow-up meeting on April 1, resident John Van Hoesen also expressed concern.
At that meeting the DRB approved Parker’s application with 11 conditions, including:
•  adding down-shielded lights and
•  meeting lighting/noise zoning regulations.
A few months later, at the Aug. 5 DRB meeting, Brown provided an overview of the complaints the town had received about the business. In part based on those complaints, and his own investigations, the zoning administrator had issued a warning to the business the previous month.
When Parker appealed the NoV, the DRB scheduled two hearings for Oct. 7 — one to address the violation and one to address the site plan amendment request.
Both Parker and Booska attended that meeting with attorneys.
Because of the intricacies of addressing permit violations while a site plan amendment is still open, the DRB decided to continue the hearing until Nov. 18, by which time it had planned to consult with the town’s attorney.
Though he was able to provide copies of the NoV and other relevant documents to the Independent, Brown was unable to comment on the ongoing case.
The Nov. 18 hearing, which will be open to the public, will be held at the New Haven town office at 7 p.m.
Reach Christopher Ross at [email protected].