CHICOPEE — The Planning Board approved a zone change from Residential B to Business A for approximately 51,800 square feet to allow for a first floor restaurant with residential uses on the upper floors at 22 Grove Ave. and 0 Grove St.
This zone change will also potentially allow site improvements and the construction of an additional parking lot.
Ridvan Turan, who owns the parcel, was at the meeting to present the project.
He confirmed that the top two floors will serve as apartments with the bottom floor being a wine bar.
“There will be food also,” Turan said.
Department of Planning & Development Director Lee Pouliot explained that Turan owns three parcels of land that abut one another including Falls Pizza and Craft Bar at 185 Grove St.
22 Grove Ave. is described as the red house on the street and 0 Grove St. are split zones.
The parking lot was predominantly Residential B with a third of the parcel being Business A and a small triangle of the parcel being Business A.
“This application to the board would be doing a lay with two additional spilt zone parcel which would be making parcels consistent for redevelopment purposes,” Pouliot said.
The area for this potential wine bar is also in a booming location, according to Pouliot.
He added, “If you also look at what’s happening in this area of the block, on the corner you have a gas station, you have falls pizza which has been wildly successful after their move with a significant investment that has been made to that building. This will allow for the reuse of the red house and the mixed-use development project.”
One abutting resident expressed his concerns about traffic and noise with the potential to a new business in that area.
Pouliot added that if the City Council grants a full zone change to all Business A, that will trigger a requirement for there to be a buffer screen to be installed between the residential property and business property.
If the zone change is approved, a site plan review process would still have to take place.
“We would address concerns with traffic, access, expand parking if there is any. Right now is the zone change will allow planning but any other issues can be discuss when new get to that point,” Pouliot said.
