Zoning board hears use-variance request for 113 Bay St.; motion to deny filed, final vote unclear

The City of Gonzales Zoning Board of Appeals on April 21 reviewed a use-variance application for 113 Bay Street (tax parcel cited by staff as 302.16-17-32) from an applicant proposing a daytime restaurant and café. After hearing testimony and public comment, a board member said the applicant “failed to prove unnecessary hardship” under the state statute governing use variances and moved to deny the application; the transcript records confusion about whether the required vote was reached and does not record a final, explicit tally.

The issue matters because the requested use — a full-service restaurant/café in an LNC zoning district where that use is not permitted — would change the allowed intensity of downtown commercial parcels and could require either a property-owner-initiated rezoning or a finding of statutory hardship. Board members and planning staff stressed that a use variance requires a strict four-part legal test and that financial hardship documentation is central to proving the claim.

The applicant, who identified herself as a chef and operator of Scratch Kitchen at 199 Orange Street, told the board she is seeking a larger daytime space to expand breakfast, lunch and coffee service and to…