OLDS — Members of the municipal planning commission (MPC) debated a thorny issue during their latest monthly meeting: how to support business creation, yet also encourage a vibrant retail sector.
On the MPC’s March 18 agenda were three applications for home-based businesses, including one from Mayor Mike Muzychka for an accounting business at his home at 6215 Douglas Place.
The other two were for a lawn maintenance business to be run out of an accessory building at the home of Robert Tufts and Kate Willoughby at 4613 49th St., and an apparel and craft sales business to be operated by Jodie Omstead from her home at 5349 51st Ave.
Commissioners eventually approved all three proposed home occupation applications with several conditions.
No concerns were raised about Muzcychka’s application.
In the case of the Tufts and Willoughby proposal, a condition was amended to ensure all equipment used in the lawn maintenance business will be stored in an accessory building on the property.
When commissioners got to the apparel and craft sales application, development officer Kyle Sloan said it’s his understanding after corresponding with the applicant that the business would basically be done via online sales, with customers picking up their purchases at her home.
Coun. Mary Jane Harper expressed concern that that business could grow to the point where it “should have bricks and mortar.”
Several other commissioners, including Coun. Mary Anne Overwater and Dan Peters echoed Harper’s concern. Chair Rudy Durieux described it as being on the “borderline” between a home occupation and a retail business.
“Like Coun. Harper said, you know at the end of the day, if she has displays set up and people are coming and trying on stuff as if it was a retail (business) I mean, that’s not what we want to encourage in our residential areas, is it,” Overwater asked.
However, commissioners were mollified with a provision limiting the number of customers to three per day and a limit of 10 per week.
Peters said although he’d prefer to see the business set up in the town’s retail sector, “limiting the number of people that are going to be there per week, I think adequately – in my mind – satisfies that this isn’t what we would normally have traditionally seen as a retail shop.”
Overwater said she too would hate to discourage someone from becoming an entrepreneur. She noted the town does already have several home-based businesses.
“Maybe eventually, if this becomes a bigger business then she will move down to our retail sector," she said.
Coun. Mitch Thomson voiced a similar feeling.
“While it does border on that concern in the area, there are so many people today who just market things on Facebook,” he said. “I think the provision only allowing for three customers per day, 10 per week is sufficient and I’m not overly concerned.”
