Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The city's zoning board ruled against the applicants Tuesday morning.
The city's zoning board decided Tuesday to oppose a request by the owners of 12 Grove St. that would have allowed Villa Mexico Cafe to relocate there from Grampy's gas station on Cambridge Street. The ruling ends the restaurant's effort to open on Grove Street. "Zoning forbids this use. It’s not a personal thing," Robert Shortsleeve, the chairman of the city board, said. The space lies in a zone in which properties revert to residential use if they have not been housing a business for more than two years. This address has not been in commercial use for at least 15 years. The owner of Villa Mexico Cafe, Stoneham resident Julie King, was asking for a variance to this statute. But opponents to the application said that a restaurant at 12 …
Thursday, December 8, 2011
During a three-hour zoning committee meeting Wednesday night, the Beacon Hill Civic Association voted to support a variance for JP Licks but opposed variances for Villa Mexico Cafe, operated by Stoneham residents Julia King and her daughter Bessie King, a
During a long and sometimes emotional meeting Wednesday night, the Beacon Hill Civic Association's Zoning and Licensing Committee heard and voted on requests from JP Licks, Villa Mexico Cafe and DeLuca's Market. All three establishments were asking the board not to oppose variances they need to open restaurants. Although the zoning committee does not have the power to grant or deny these variances, it can oppose them when they go before the city. Any opposition from the neighborhood board carries significant influence at the city level. The Mexican restaurant currently in Grampy's gas station, at 296 Cambridge St., was seeking a variance to move into a storefront around the corner, at 12 Grove St. The board voted not support this request …
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Villa Mexico Cafe owner Julie King will seek the approval of the Beacon Hill Civic Association's Zoning and Licensing Committee Wednesday night.
Over the five years Villa Mexico Cafe has been on Cambridge Street, it's earned a devoted clientele, many of whom were skeptical that one of the city's best burritos could be found in the back of a gas station. Adam Conrad was among the dubious. "But then I was actually brought here. I had one bite and it changed my mind." Finding a New Home But as of the end of this month, the gas-station burrito will be gone. And whether Villa Mexico finds a new home on Beacon Hill is uncertain. A major factor will be whether the Beacon Hill Civic Association approves a zoning variance Wednesday night. Villa Mexico has been asked to leave Grampy's by the end of this month. The gas station itself will be vacating the space next year to make room for the…
