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Owner of Dovetail Auctions asks East Brandywine to revisit zoning determination for online-auction business
Summary
Julie Cook, owner of Dovetail Auctions, told the East Brandywine board the zoning officer classified her business as retail, triggering large parking requirements; staff and the solicitor offered options including reconsideration by the zoning officer, variance to the zoning hearing board, or an ordinance amendment to address online/warehouse-style uses.
During the July 16 public-comment period, Julie Cook, owner of Dovetail Auctions, asked the East Brandywine Board of Supervisors to revisit a zoning determination that treated her auction business as retail, imposing parking rules she said are incompatible with her shipping-only, online-auction model.
"We are an online business with very limited foot traffic," Cook said. She described operating from a historic barn at a Highspire Corner property and said the zoning officer had categorized the use as retail, which would require dozens of parking spaces Cook said the business does not need.
Township solicitor Tom Esty and staff outlined three options on the record: ask the zoning officer (Mika) to reconsider the determination; file for a variance before the independent zoning hearing board (not guaranteed); or pursue an ordinance amendment to treat adaptive reuse or online-sale uses differently in the code. Esty advised that a written, comprehensive description of operations (buildings, square footage, customer visits and deliveries) would be helpful when staff or the zoning officer review the case.
Several board members and commission representatives expressed support for preserving historic structures and for exploring regulatory approaches that balance adaptive reuse with parking and stormwater rules. A Historical Commission member noted the business resembles a warehouse with limited customer visits and recommended treating the site's use accordingly.
Why it matters: the exchange highlights a common municipal tension — preserving historic adaptive reuse while meeting zoning requirements written before e-commerce and shipping-focused business models were common. The board did not take immediate formal action but directed staff and the solicitor to seek a path forward with the zoning officer and to accept a written description from the owner.
Next steps: Cook said she could provide a comprehensive written description by the following morning; staff said they would confer with the zoning officer and solicitor about reconsideration or alternative paths (variance or ordinance amendment).
