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Nonprofit 'Thrifty' seeks special-use permit in Lockport to fund counseling services; council to consider ordinance June 17
Summary
Thrifty, a nonprofit resale store proposing to operate at 123 E. 9th St., would use proceeds to fund low-cost and no-cost counseling; planning staff recommended placing ordinance 26014 on the June 17 council agenda after the applicant described donation and operations safeguards.
Planning staff presented a special-use application from Karen Heran to open 'Thrifty,' a nonprofit resale shop at 123 East 9th Street, and asked the council to place ordinance 26014 on the June 17 city council agenda for consent or action.
"Thrifty is a nonprofit organization specializing in the resale of quality items," Lance, planning staff, said. He described the proposal as a roughly 3,800-square-foot storefront in the downtown C4 district; the applicant seeks a special-use permit under code provisions for secondhand retail. Staff said the applicant committed to accept donations only during normal business hours and to have donation drop-offs handled inside the building.
Applicant Karen Heran, who said Thrifty will operate in conjunction with Refuge mental health services, told council volunteers and employees will screen donations before acceptance. "What our team does is we actually go look at the items before we take them," she said, adding that proceeds will support low-cost counseling at the Refuge center and that store operations will be run by a board and staff rather than by the counselor-founder alone.
Council members asked whether donations would be accepted at the back door (the applicant said yes, because a shared parking lot is behind the building), about dumpster provisions, and when the store hoped to open (the applicant said she was ready but is awaiting permitting). Council members noted the special-use process offers standards to prevent unchecked clustering of resale shops in the downtown and said the item will be placed on the June 17 agenda for action.
Planning staff recommended conditions consistent with the code’s secondhand-retail provisions (donations handled inside, no after-hours outdoor drop-offs). The application includes a plan to store overflow in a basement area and to screen items before offering them for sale.
The council did not vote on final approval at the meeting; staff will bring ordinance 26014 forward for consideration on June 17.
