Elisa Billings had an explanation for why zoners denied her request to install a parking spot on her front lawn: Her neighbor is a federal judge and owns the New Haven Green.
Billings offered that theory Tuesday night after the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) voted unanimously to deny her and her husband’s request for a special zoning exception to install a parking space on their front lawn (pictured) on Bishop Street.
They had made the request at the June BZA meeting, where neighbors spoke up in opposition to the plan. Among them was Janet Bond Arterton, a federal judge. She’s also one of the Proprietors of Common and Undivided Lands in New Haven, the self-appointing body that technically owns the New Haven Green.
Billings speculated that Arterton’s status as judge and proprietor was enough to bend the zoning board to her will.
Members of the BZA however, said they voted against the proposal simply because it was not appropriate for the neighborhood.
The Billings family’s house does not have a driveway. This presents a hardship during parking bans during street-sweeping and snowstorms, the Billings had argued. Elisa described how she had to park blocks away and walk home with her young kids during snow emergencies.
The Billings proposed creating a curb cut in front of their house and installing a product called Grasspave, which purportedly looks just like grass but will stand up to occasional use as a parking surface.
Arterton and other neighbors argued that the result would be ugly, an assessment that BZA members agreed with on Tuesday evening during a voting session.
BZA chair Pat King noted that neighbors had turned out to oppose the plan. She questioned whether the paving product would be appropriate for the neighborhood.
Member Victor Fasano called the neighborhood “upscale” with a number of “stately homes.” That the parking spot would mean the elimination of an on-street parking space, he noted.
“I think that this is not an appropriate thing to grant,” he said.
“It would stick out like a sore thumb,” said BZA member Ben Trachten.
The board voted unanimously to deny the request.
Elisa, who had been watching from the gallery, walked out into the hallway.
“I feel terrible,” she said.
She said she had expected a denial. “You can’t underestimate the influence of a federal judge and one of the five owners of the New Haven Green,” she said. The city wouldn’t want to cross such a powerful woman, she said. “We felt like our hands were tied.”
Elisa said she and her husband will now continue to look for another home they can move to in East Rock — one with a driveway.
“We feel like we’ve been hurt by our neighbors,” she said.