NORWALK - A proposal to convert a former veteran's hall into a restaurant and nightclub was denied by the Norwalk City Council on Tuesday.The city council's vote upholds the Planning Commission's earlier decision to deny Greg Hernandez's request to open Palmilla Cantina y Musica at 12182 Front St., which would have featured live entertainment and alcohol sales Wednesday through Sunday. Hernandez would have remodeled the hall to include a bar, lounge area, kitchen, offices, storage rooms, coolers and restrooms. He planned to hire up to 30 employees. Mariachi bands and a solo guitarist would have provided the entertainment, with occasional "big acts." City officials, however, said the proposed bar violated zoning ordinances because it was located within 300 feet of a church and homes. Council members also said parking was insufficient to accommodate the nightclub. "The proposed establishment's dependence on street parking may negatively impact many of the businesses on Front Street which are older developments that were developed with little to no on-site parking and heavily rely on street parking," council members said in a resolution denying the application. "Adding another business that will be primarily dependant on street parking and that may attract as many as 331 occupants...will deplete the amount of parking that is available to existing businesses on Front Street."

********** Published: January 19, 2012 - Volume 10 - Issue 40