Board approves small home-based bakery for Cheektowaga resident with registration condition

The Cheektowaga Zoning Board of Appeals granted Denise Heffernan permission to operate a small, part-time home-based bakery from her residence at 6A Samuel Drive on April 15, provided she register with the Department of Agriculture as required for food operations.

Heffernan told the board she would bake cakes, breads and cookies in her existing residential kitchen on a preorder basis and would not conduct on-site sales or have walk-in customers; orders would be delivered or picked up off-site. She described the operation as a limited, part-time activity to supplement retirement income and said it would not change the residential character of the property.

Board members asked how orders and deliveries would be handled and whether the property manager for the condominium-style lot (Sky Harbor) permitted home businesses; Heffernan said the property manager did not object. The board made approval conditional on registration with the Department of Agriculture; a motion to grant the variance with that condition passed with recorded ayes.

The board's condition aligns with state and local requirements for certain home-based food operations. Heffernan said she intended to follow applicable New York State home-processing regulations and to register appropriately before starting operations.

This article is based on the applicant's testimony, board questions and the recorded motion and vote during the food-business agenda item.