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Sawyers Towing requests amendment to conditional zoning to allow public bar and outdoor entertainment; staff recommends approval
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Summary
At a public hearing, planning staff recommended approval of an amendment to a conditional zoning district to add a bar open to the public and outdoor entertainment at 3592 Gastonia Highway; the applicant said she holds an ABC permit and had ceased noncompliant operations following a notice of violation.
Planning staff presented CZ2022-5, an application to amend the conditional zoning for a 0.75-acre parcel at 3592 Gastonia Highway (Sawyers Towing and Transport LLC) to expand permitted uses to include a bar open to the public and multiple outdoor entertainment areas. Staff told the board they discovered the site operating contrary to its approved private-event-only designation, issued a notice of violation in mid-March, and received an affidavit by July 12 in which the applicant acknowledged she would cease public bar operations until returning to the board.
Jeremiah said staff recommended approval of the amendment and provided a proposed statement of consistency and a revised site plan in the meeting packet. During the public hearing, Commissioners asked about Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) permitting; applicant Theresa Sawyer told the board she currently holds an ABC permit ("We we've actually, have had our permit for 2 years") and described prior community events, saying the business had since limited activities to private, reserved events. The applicant also said staff (Josh) had helped prepare the revised site plan and application.
The Chair closed the public hearing and the planning board recessed to deliberate in Room 310; the planning board is scheduled to bring a recommendation to the next meeting (the packet referenced a planning-board meeting on 01/13/2025). No final zoning action was recorded in the commission's minutes at this meeting; the matter remains pending the planning board's deliberation and recommendation.
