Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Food Vendor Permit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Zoning board approves shaved-ice kiosk at 181 Wakefield Street
Summary
The Rochester Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a special-exception permit allowing a seasonal shaved-ice kiosk to operate in the parking lot at 181–193 Wakefield Street, with conditions on placement, patron parking and trash removal.
Rochester, N.H. — The Rochester Zoning Board of Adjustment on June 11 approved a special exception permitting a seasonal shaved-ice kiosk to operate in a parking lot at 181–193 Wakefield Street.
The board approved case Z25-15 after the applicant, Shannon Baxter, described a 5-by-8-foot kiosk that would occupy one underused parking space in the front-right corner of the lot, operate seasonally from Memorial Day through October and rely on a nearby electrical source. The board approved the special exception with conditions that place the cart near the southern half of the lot, require patrons arriving by vehicle to park in existing spaces and require daily trash removal.
The applicant, Shannon Baxter, said the kiosk would allow customers to order from their vehicles or on foot, and that the structure would be removed and stored for the winter. “The booth itself is 5 feet by 8 feet. It fills just one parking space,” Baxter said at the podium.
A city planning staff member told the board the planning department’s memo recommends findings of fact that the proposal meets the special-exception criteria. The staff member described the board’s role as approving the concept and noted that subsequent technical reviews — including fire, police, public works, assessing and building departments — will address details such as power connections, trash and health inspections during the administrative review stage.
Board members voted on the five statutory criteria individually, as required by the local zoning ordinance, and then on the full special exception with the conditions read into the record. The roll call vote recorded all five members present voting in favor.
The board’s decision was accompanied by the standard appeal notice: any person directly affected may appeal the board’s decision within 30 calendar days from the date of the decision.
The kiosk is one of five food establishments in the nearby area, and the applicant said the product is seasonal and intended to be a low-impact use that supports the city’s renewal goals.
The administrative approvals and inspections referenced by the city planning staff must occur before the kiosk can operate; the board’s action approved the special-exception concept and imposed conditions about placement, parking and trash removal as part of its approval.
