Board approves legacy-use reestablishment and variances for We 2 Friends Coffeehouse; approval limited to that business

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a legacy‑use application and two associated variances on April 15 to allow a historic general store at 4651 Union Hill Road to reopen as a coffeehouse and gift shop under the name We 2 Friends Coffeehouse LLC.

Community Development staff presented the application as a legacy‑use request under changes to the zoning code that allow reestablishment of historically significant uses. Staff said the building was constructed in 1950 as JB Mathis General Store and that the applicant had documented the building’s history and limited exterior alterations.

The request included two variances: one to reduce the minimum required parking spaces from 12 to 9 and another to waive a standard requirement to install a deceleration lane on the nonresidential driveway. The board considered the legacy‑use criteria in Article 13 of the zoning ordinance and the companion variance standards before voting.

Applicant John Thompson, who lives adjacent to the property and said his family has historical ties to the site, told the board the proposed operation aims to foster local community ties and preserve the building. “We seek to welcome the community,” Thompson said, describing the project as focused on local gathering rather than large commercial expansion.

Commissioners discussed adding a condition to limit the approvals to the current business. Commissioner Weatherby offered a motion to approve the legacy use and the variances and commissioners agreed to amend the approval to include a sunset/limitation: the legacy use and the variances apply only to We 2 Friends Coffeehouse LLC. The board approved the motion unanimously.

Under the terms of the approval, if the business ceases operation, the special allowances (the legacy‑use designation and associated parking and driveway variances) will not automatically transfer to another operator; future uses would need to seek approval. Staff noted the rezoning application earlier associated with this property had been withdrawn by the applicant and that the planning commission had previously recommended denial of rezoning to commercial uses in this agricultural area.

The board’s action preserves a 1,200‑square‑foot cinder‑block structure identified in the application materials and acknowledges an award the restoration received from History Cherokee in 2024. Commissioners said the decision is intended to encourage preservation of other historic general‑store structures in the county.