P&Z Approves Villa Restaurant Expansion Plans

By Andrew Gorosko

The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) has approved a local restaurateur’s plans to expand his business in Sandy Hook Center.

At a December 20 session, following a public hearing, P&Z members approved applicant Vito Kala’s proposal to expand the The Villa Restaurant and Pizza at 4 Riverside Road, as well as make interior renovations to the existing building. The P&Z granted Mr Kala an amendment to a special permit for the project.

The site is in the Sandy Hook Design District (SHDD), a special commercial zoning district in Sandy Hook Center.

Mr Kala plans to construct an 840-square-foot addition to the restaurant on the building’s side nearest Riverside Road. The two-story addition would be constructed in the area that now holds a freestanding sign for the business. The signage would then be moved eastward.

Architect Robert Aldridge of Danbury, representing Mr Kala, told P&Z members that the building materials and visual textures to be used in the addition would match those of the existing structure. The addition would stand 16 feet back from Riverside Road.

The planned expansion would include a customer waiting area, plus a lounge with a piano.

The December 20 approval for an 840-square-foot restaurant expansion supercedes a November 2006 approval that Mr Kala received from the P&Z for a 376-square-foot expansion, which was never constructed. 

The town’s Design Advisory Board (DAB) had endorsed Mr Kala’s architectural plans for the restaurant expansion project. The DAB decided that the addition would enhance the existing restaurant, as well as visually improve the SHDD zone. The DAB provides architectural and landscaping advice to applicants and the P&Z.

P&Z members agreed that that the project is consistent with the provisions of the SHDD zone.

In 1995, the P&Z created SHDD zoning to better regulate the mixed land uses in Sandy Hook Center, in the area centering on the intersection on Church Hill Road, Washington Avenue, Riverside Road, and Glen Road. SHDD zoning seeks to enhance the appearance of the area, encourage pedestrian amenities, and foster improved parking, with the goal of enhancing the area’s economy.