Bill Ryan/The Gazette Steven Applegate wants to open a sign-making business at 1010 S. Main St., Mount Airy, but the building does not have the right zoning.

• 
• 
Bill Ryan/The Gazette Steven Applegate wants to open a sign-making business at 1010 S. Main St., Mount Airy, but the building does not have the right zoning.

Bill Ryan/The Gazette Steven Applegate wants to open a sign-making business at 1010 S. Main St., Mount Airy, but the building does not have the right zoning.

 

<< Prev

Next >>

More News

Takoma Park police aim to catch fleeing thieves

State chamber: Income tax hike will unfairly hurt Montgomery

Push for Shady Grove arena refueled

Montgomery County executive: Rapid Transit Vehicle system will be built

PSC weighs whether utility customers can reject smart meters

The windows of 1010 S. Main St. in Mount Airy have been empty since Dennis Kitchens and Baths closed several years ago, but for about a month a message greeted residents as they drove by.

Help.

The plea came from owner, Frank Omelka, and his brother-in-law, Steven Applegate, who want to open a sign-making business in the building.

But plans for the business have halted after they learned the property no longer has the proper zoning.

Applegate wanted to open Gold Crown Signs four months ago, but can’t unless the town council either changes the zoning or changes the town code that governs special exceptions.

“I set up a website many, many months ago with the anticipation that we would be doing business by now,” said Applegate, who moved his family to Walkersville from New Jersey. “… It’s a tough situation we’re in.”

Town Manager Monika Weierbach said the property always has been zoned residential, but previous businesses have operated on the land through a special exception, which allows certain uses under specific conditions.

The special exception expired once the building was vacant for 18 months, although Weierbach was not certain when that occurred. To obtain a new special exception, Omelka and Applegate must apply for one from the town, but a sign-making business is not an allowed use with a special exception.

Weierbach said the council would have to either change the code to allow a sign-making business with a special exception or change the zoning on the property to allow the business.

Town Planner Kelly Ziad said town staff has met with Gold Crown Sign’s attorneys and discussed options, but no other actions have been taken.

Applegate said he is circulating a letter of support to present to the town, and has talked to some neighbors about the project. The letter, addressed to the mayor, town council, and Planning Commission, asks that they support the business opening in the location.

“In the interest of seeing the property put to productive use for the overall business and aesthetic well-being of the town and community, I support the Omelka family in their efforts to establish their desired used at 1010 South Main Street,” the letter reads. “I urge you to also support the Omelkas.”

The full letter can be found at a Facebook site Applegate set up, www.facebook.com/petition1010.

“I don’t want to aggravate the town, but we’re in a situation where we need to get things done,” Applegate said. “The other option would be to tear down the building and put in some townhomes, which nobody would be happy about.”

Applegate said the business will have little impact, as it would create minimal traffic, except employees between Monday and Friday during regular business hours.

“Once open for business, the property will be kept clean of any debris and the perimeter of the neighboring properties shall have privacy landscaping such as coniferous trees and shrubbery,” he said in an email.

The building, built in 1935 as a car dealership, is an almost 20,000-square-foot structure, and is designated as a warehouse. The town considered buying the building about a year ago, possibly for a community arts center, but Weierbach said the project went nowhere because of some environmental and neighbor concerns.

acochrun@gazette.net