New London ― A vacant former church at the corner of Starr and Green Street received approval from Planning and Zoning Thursday night to become an events venue.

Rod Cornish, owner of Hot Rod Cafe for 17 years, purchased the vacant former Apostolic Cathedral of Hope in April for $315,000. He plans on calling the unique space Stone Temple Venue, which is a nod to one of his favorite rock bands of the 1990s, Stone Temple Pilots.

Last month, he said his intent was to create a venue space and fill a void he sees in the city for weddings, birthdays, retirements or any party with a maximum of 250 people.

Cornish said he did not have an exact timeline for when the venue will be completed.

His application aimed to change the use of the former church into an events venue and restaurant with a liquor permit.

The original request sought extended hours of Sunday to Thursday from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. with internal music and the ability for live entertainment.

Present at the Thursday night meeting, Cornish changed his request for 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. throughout the week.

“I’m happy with the outcome,” said Cornish, owner of the property, on Friday. “I backed off the request for extended hours trying to be a good neighbor and the commission did a professional job.”

The vote to approve the change came despite several complaints from Starr Street neighbors at its last meeting. Neighbors expressed their concerns about loud music late at night, smokers, trash in the street, increased foot and car traffic in the neighborhood, and more.

Resident Gordon Angell made a final presentation on behalf of the Starr Street Association on Thursday. He said some members of the association had met with Cornish on Nov. 11 to discuss his application.

Angell said the members heard Cornish agree to drop the request for extended hours; describe his plan to include musical performances, concerts and other entertainment for fee-for-entry paying audiences of up to several hundred persons; and state that indoor storage of trash will not happen for sanitary reasons.

He asked the commission to incorporate restrictions they considered appropriate “to balance the permitted uses of the property against the interests of the neighboring property owners to stabilize and preserve the value of their properties, and to protect and preserve the integrity of the city’s historic and cultural heritage as represented in the Starr Street historic district,” Angell said.

The Savings Bank of New London and the city revived Starr Street from dilapidated conditions in the 1970s after completing a renovation of the street and its homes.

Before returning to his seat, Angell said the commission’s regulations did not define the use of an “events venue” and considered the application to be a nightclub.

Barry Levine, chairman of the commission, said he did not consider it a nightclub. He asked Cornish if he intended to serve food at all times, which Cornish said yes to.

Cornish on Friday said while he does plan on charging when he has bands, the objective of the venue is so it will be available as a rental for parties.

Levine asked Cornish to review a list of suggested conditions to the special permit, one which included a two year time frame on the permit. City Planning and Zoning Official Michelle Scovish said she had placed that there for the commission to consider.

Cornish said he was not comfortable with the condition to come back in two years and have to go through the process again.

Some of the commissioners agreed that it was not necessary. Commissioner Ronna Stuller said while such a time frame has been more common after the COVID-19 pandemic, her main concerns were the requested hours.

Before the final vote, Commissioner Adam Sprecace motioned to add the two year time frame to gauge at its success, stating that some of the comments from residents had not been addressed. But the rest of the board ultimately voted against the amendment.

Frank McLaughlin, the acting president of the Starr Street Association, would not comment if the association would seek an appeal on the commission’s decision.

j.vazquez@theday.com

Editor’s note: this version corrected Gordon Angell’s name.