West Haven Planning Commission approves conditional use permit for at-home casino-party business

The West Haven Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for a second home-occupation business called Cash Casino Parties at 3657 South 3650 West in West Haven.

Planning staff recommended approval, saying the proposed business would operate primarily as an office out of the home with no on-site customers and no employees. Amy, a planning staff member who wrote the staff report, told the commission the second home-occupation site would be used for office work and that "all team building parties shall be held off-site unless the applicant comes back to the planning commission for approval." She also warned that "any violations of the West Haven City Nuisance Ordinance will result in revocation of the business license and conditional use permit."

Applicant Ryan Cash described the business during the meeting: "The business is exactly that, just, casino parties or businesses. So it's not on-site. The only thing that we would have on-site is training." Cash said equipment and supplies would be stored in a vehicle (a Sprinter van) and that some tools and items were kept in a backyard shed used for occasional training and table construction. He said the van is parked in his backyard and the driveway is concrete, and he noted the property also hosts a salon as a separate home-occupation with no employees.

Commissioners questioned parking and storage details before voting. Staff noted the city code requires business-related vehicles be parked behind the front plane of the home on a nonpermeable surface or in a garage and off the street; Cash said the van is parked behind his fence or kept in the shed. Commissioners also asked where trainees would park; Cash said the driveway has five parking spaces serving the salon and could accommodate training groups of two to five people for short on-site training sessions.

Commissioner Reid moved to approve the conditional use permit with the conditions outlined in the staff report; Commissioner Simpson seconded. The motion carried, recorded as six votes in favor and one opposed. The permit includes the staff-proposed conditions that team-building events take place off-site unless returned to the commission and that violations of the nuisance ordinance may prompt revocation.

The permit preserves the property's R-2.5 zoning status and, per staff, is not expected to generate additional traffic, refuse, or utility-service impacts because routine operations will be limited to office work inside the residence and mobile event support kept in the vehicle. The planning commission did not add further conditions beyond those noted in the staff report.

The applicant and staff agreed to code-required limits on on-site parking of business vehicles and to notify the commission if the scope of on-site training or storage changes.