A Criglersville location by a Main Street Madison cafe is on the agenda for a public hearing next week.
Cake Krums owner Merri Woodward appeared before the Madison County Planning Commission to once again discuss a special use permit (SUP) application for a general store to open Trail Bites, a pop-up extension of her Main Street business which will offer to-go, prepackaged items on weekends. The business will be located in an existing 312-square-foot building on roughly 0.03 acres of agriculture-zoned land at 37 Poor House Road. The property is owned by Possum's Store owner Renee Balfour. Woodward said Balfour approached her with the idea of operating a business in the space.
Woodward plans to sell pre-boxed lunches to hikers and out-of-towners. The lunches would be prepared at Cake Krums. She also plans to offer bottled sodas, water, tea and iced coffee, along with the prepackaged desserts she is known for in Madison. Cake Krums began as a bakery, but expanded to offer breakfast, lunch and specialty coffees. Trail Bites would also have merchandise including T-shirts, hats, tumblers, mugs and hiking essentials, such as bug spray and sunscreen.
The building at Poor House Road has no indoor plumbing, but according to building officials, it doesn't need it. Woodward plans to dispose of any waste at her Main Street location. Balfour has offered her store's restroom as a bathroom option for employees.
Questions were raised by planning commissioners regarding the accessibility of the building. It does not meet current ADA requirements. However, building and zoning officials said it doesn't need to due to the building's age.
"It predates the date of enactment," commissioner Jim Smith said.
Woodward said she has quite a few clients who visit Cake Krums that need special accommodations and she wants to be able to serve them at Trail Bites. However, widening the entrance and inserting a ramp isn't feasible. She plans to enact a curbside pickup option for those unable to access the building.
"I want to help all of my customers," she said.
The SUP is being proposed for approval with several conditions. The permit is to run with the applicant; any existing fencing must be maintained to provide a buffer from adjoining properties and any lighting must be downcast. Parking is prohibited in the VDOT right-of-way and in the gravel driveway that serves an adjacent parcel. Balfour said Trail Bites will utilize Possum's Store parking, with one space closest to the pop-up designated as a handicap space.
Woodward said she's excited for the new venture.
The permit application will be the subject of a joint public hearing Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. at 414 N. Main Street, Madison.
Also on the agenda for a public hearing will be an update to the zoning ordinance pertaining to home occupations. The subject became a topic of discussion in June when a local business applied for an SUP to operate out of their home. Commissioners had difficulty in determining if the business needed a permit or if it fell within the home occupation guidelines in the zoning ordinance since it consisted of employees arriving to the home, picking up business vehicles and working off-site before dropping those vehicles back at the property. Ultimately, the commissioners and county supervisors decided the ordinance needed some work.
The zoning ordinance states a home occupation is allowed in both A-1 (Agriculture) and C-1 (Conservation) zoned areas by-right providing its limited to the persons who reside on the premises, is conducted solely within the home and generates no customer traffic. Home occupations with less than three employees regularly employed on the site require an SUP. Mechanical equipment is also to not exceed five horsepower.
The commission has rewritten the ordinance to allow home occupations by-right in A-1 and C-1, as well as R-1 (Residential Limited), R-2 (Residential General) and R-3 (Residential Multiple Family). The reworked ordinance defines a home occupation as one including or limited to those residing on-site, with no business signage and without any customer traffic. Home occupations with less than three employees employed regularly on-site are permitted by an SUP in A-1 and C-1. Regularly employed on-site means employees work for more than two hours per day on the premises. The business owner must reside on the premises. Mechanical equipment is still limited at five horsepower except for that which is normally used for domestic or household purposes.