Commission asks staff to draft zoning language to let Veronica’s Market expand

The Adrian City Planning Commission on June 2 asked staff to draft proposed language that would allow Veronica’s Market to expand and add a taqueria by permitting grocery as an accessory use to a restaurant in the I-1 industrial district.

Laurie (McKenna) summarized two staff options: rezone the northern side of Beecher between Golf and Treat streets to a general commercial district so groceries and restaurants would be permitted by right, or amend the I-1 code to allow restaurants as an accessory use and permit grocery as an accessory use to a restaurant. She noted that the grocery use is currently nonconforming in the I-1 district and that expanding in place is technically not allowed without some change.

Commissioners debated which approach would best balance allowing a neighborhood-serving market and avoiding spot zoning or creating other nonconformities for existing businesses in the strip. Some members favored a targeted text amendment that would allow grocery as an accessory use to restaurants rather than rezoning the entire block; others cautioned against creating precedent by changing zoning to satisfy a single applicant. Commissioners also raised questions about the marijuana-overlay and whether changing the base zoning would affect overlay conditions; staff said it could create nonconformities for existing uses but would not automatically change the overlay rules.

The commission directed staff to prepare draft language to permit grocery as an accessory use to a restaurant so the commission can review a concrete proposal at a future meeting.