Should Cafés be Allowed?
by Edd Merritt,
May 20, 2010, page 1.....

Spurred by the denial of the addition of a café/tearoom to the farm stand at the Charlotte Berry Farm under current zoning regulations, the Planning Commission will hold a public workshop at 7 p.m. on June 3 in the Town Hall to obtain feedback on whether to proceed with an attempt to amend the regulations. As the rules stand currently, cafés/restaurants are not allowed in the town’s rural district where the Berry Farm is located. Making it allowable would require an amendment approved by voters.

Questions include how to word an amendment so that it does what it is intended to do, and how would it impact the town plan?

According to planner Dean Bloch, the issue extends beyond simply the Berry Farm itself and becomes something to consider for all development in the rural district. For example, an amendment’s impact on the Route 7 corridor through Charlotte deserves attention as well, he said.

The commission is interested in learning whether people want restrictions on the type of facility, such as limiting size to 1,000 square feet, requiring an association with a working farm, limiting what can be served, or requiring a large lot size so as to avoid the potential that this would trigger a “strip” of cafés up and down Route 7.

The Berry Farm’s owners, the Simpkins, decided not to appeal the Zoning Board’s denial of their original proposal within the 30-day time frame and are waiting to see what the Planning Commission hears from the community.
According to Bloch’s notice about the meeting, the “Planning Commission would like to know what towns-people think about this, and if they have any particular suggestions.” All interested residents are encouraged to come on June 3.