Picnic tables have been a popular feature of Old Mill Grocery by Romanacci — and before that, Joey’s by the Shore and Elvira’s — for at least 30 years.
A recent addition — a gelato cart — also proved wildly popular, until questions about its legality forced its removal.
Now, donors in the century-old market/restaurant in the heart of the Old Mill neighborhood hope that a text amendment will ensure that both the picnic tables and gelato cart can continue to serve customers.
And that similar spots, in other Westport neighborhoods, can do the same.
Picnic tables — shown here in a photo of Joey’s by the Shore — have been part of the Hillspoint Road market for at least 30 years. However, they were never officially addressed in town regulations.
Text Amendment #846, submitted to the Planning & Zoning Commission, would allow outdoor eating areas for any retail food establishment existing or operating in a residential zone prior to September 1, 2024, and exempt them from the 50-foot setback requirement; update the “outdoor eating area” definition to include the right to utilize portable food carts and service stations, and expand the sale of alcohol to those same food establishments.
In addition to Old Mill Grocery, the text amendment would benefit The Porch at Christies on Cross Highway, and The Country Store on Wilton Road.
The Porch at Christie’s would also benefit from proposed text amendments.
An explanatory statement, filed as part of the text amendment application, notes that small markets, with up to 10 interior seats and offering “take and go” food, have become increasingly popular since the pandemic.
“They provide convenient access to their goods, while creating a strong sense of community and connection with one’s neighbors,” the statement says.
“The vision and impetus behind these proposed text amendments is for these establishments to serve as a place where neighbors can enjoy a casual glass of wine, or a beer, with their food, unwind, and socialize with their friends.”
The amendments are also “consistent with the Town of Westport’s 2017 Plan of Conservation and Development,” which encourages “tiny commercial uses embedded” in some residential areas, while “maintaining residential character.”
The Country Store, at the corner of Wilton Road and Newtown Turnpike.
It’s not easy for a small deli or market like Old Mill Grocery, The Porch or The Country Store — located away from commercial neighborhoods — to bring in enough revenue.
But donors in the 501(c)(3) that preserved the 105-year-old community resource believe that there’s enough neighborhood support, and other drive-by business, to support them.
OMG’s text amendment — which includes the picnic tables that have been there since the previous millennium, and specifically mentions items like the gelato “food cart” — would, they say, go a long way toward ensuring their continued viability.
Well into the next century.
Click here to view the full pending application of Text Amendment #846. Based on statutory requirements, the Planning & Zoning Commission’s public hearing will wait until November. Residents can comment on the application by emailing PandZ@westportct.gov.
Old Mill Grocery & Deli is popular with people of all ages. (Photo/Ed Simek)
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