With a 3-2 vote, last night City Council approved the rezoning of 814 Hinton Avenue in Belmont from residential to commercial.
The Southern Crescent, the restaurant Andrew Ewell and Hannah Pittard hoped to open by the end of the summer, is closer to becoming a reality.
The application has vocal opposition from some neighbors concerned with the wellbeing of the neighborhood. The major complaints centered on noise and added traffic to an already congested strip of commercial development.
Yet, Councilor David Brown and Mayor Dave Norris argued that the issues raised by this application were separate from those that already exist in the neighborhood.
Yesterday’s meeting was the second of two readings. Councilor Julian Taliaferro, who previously voted for the application, changed his vote stating that the addition of another restaurant wouldn’t benefit the neighborhood.
Councilor Satyendra Huja, who also voted to deny the application, said that rezoning the parcel into commercial was not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.
