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Council approves conditional UNO to allow jujitsu dojo at 101 E. Fourth St.
Summary
Bridgeport council approved a conditional UNO for a proposed jujitsu dojo at 101 East Fourth Street, allowing one instructor and a maximum of 12 students with weekday and limited Saturday hour restrictions; the applicant said it will withdraw a pending ZHB application if the zoning change takes effect.
Bridgeport Borough Council on Oct. 28 approved a conditional UNO to permit a jujitsu dojo at 101 East Fourth Street, after the applicant agreed to limits on class size, instruction and hours.
Joe Clement, the applicant’s attorney, told council the site currently has 72 parking spaces and that, under the borough’s proposed neighborhood commercial zoning, the building’s uses would require about 56 spaces, a level he said would cover the dojo’s parking needs. “There are 72 parking spaces on that site today,” Clement said, and “we would need 56 spaces, including the spaces for Sonny’s proposed use.”
Applicant representative Sonny Roche described the planned operation as a small program with “no more than 10 to 12 students at any one time,” one instructor, weekday after-school classes and an early-evening adult class. Council members negotiated conditions limiting the operation to a single instructor, a maximum of 12 students at a time, weekday hours ending around 9:00–9:30 p.m. and constrained Saturday hours (the applicant proposed Saturdays conclude by about 1:30 p.m.; council discussed a 2:00 p.m. cap and signaled willingness to revisit hours later).
Several council members voiced support for the proposal, noting the business could draw customers to other local businesses and that alterations would be modest if the space later changed hands. Councilmember Schenck (commenting in the hearing) said the applicant is “betting on himself,” and other members emphasized flexibility to return to council if operations require changes.
Council moved and seconded a motion to approve the conditional UNO with the conditions discussed; the motion carried on a voice vote. The applicants indicated they would withdraw a separate Zoning Hearing Board application if the borough’s zoning change is adopted in time.
The conditional UNO applies only to the operator and conditions agreed at the Oct. 28 meeting. If the borough’s zoning ordinance is not amended as projected, the applicants indicated they would pursue relief through the Zoning Hearing Board.
