This is just so horrible. The city is so against this small business, something else must be going on. People tell me never ever try to open a small business in Sebastopol. You can see for yourself how many have left, driven out of the city. Meanwhile people walk through the Barlow with open alcohol containers and it's never enforced. Traffic laws are unenforced making Sebastopol among the most dangerous small towns in California. The crystal ball says someone influential lives near by and is complaining or someone wants to put a BBQ in the Barlow but won't until the local business goes.
Depressing, pathetic, sad, embarrassing…whatever other words you want to use. I feel so bad for Kris, his partners, employees, and, of course, us, his patrons. What a tremendous waste of their time and resources. While I selfishly hope they can remain in town because of how much I personally enjoy their food, I also hope they find a community that is more welcoming and helpful to ensure their continued success. This entire process has been a blight on our town and the council should be ashamed of themselves for not figuring out a solution.
Further, “We had a staff member go off. We had it prepared, and we thought it had been sent, and it was not.” is not an excuse. That is a failure of leadership in that department.
There's suspicion and then there is conspiracy, but the easiest answer is the actual visible issue -> two large smokers cause issues for neighbors , and that is what zoning is for. Zoning began as a way to keep [coal plants] far from residential areas. There were a lot of people trying hard to find the win win solution to keep them where they are, including the neighbors and restaurant owners working together. But the issue is complicated. Smoke capturing devices are very expensive. Engineering stamps and permits which make near term solutions are expensive. That money actually takes away from money that could be used at a new space.
Moving to a new site requires extensive refitting for their type of cooking. It's a very hard situation - especially for early business owners capturing rapid growth. I and many others in town tried to help. Simply, there is a lack of affordable restaurant location options with the right zoning -- similar to a lack of affordable housing. Everyone on the council wants them to be successful.
This is just so horrible. The city is so against this small business, something else must be going on. People tell me never ever try to open a small business in Sebastopol. You can see for yourself how many have left, driven out of the city. Meanwhile people walk through the Barlow with open alcohol containers and it's never enforced. Traffic laws are unenforced making Sebastopol among the most dangerous small towns in California. The crystal ball says someone influential lives near by and is complaining or someone wants to put a BBQ in the Barlow but won't until the local business goes.
Depressing, pathetic, sad, embarrassing…whatever other words you want to use. I feel so bad for Kris, his partners, employees, and, of course, us, his patrons. What a tremendous waste of their time and resources. While I selfishly hope they can remain in town because of how much I personally enjoy their food, I also hope they find a community that is more welcoming and helpful to ensure their continued success. This entire process has been a blight on our town and the council should be ashamed of themselves for not figuring out a solution.
Further, “We had a staff member go off. We had it prepared, and we thought it had been sent, and it was not.” is not an excuse. That is a failure of leadership in that department.
What a joke.
There's suspicion and then there is conspiracy, but the easiest answer is the actual visible issue -> two large smokers cause issues for neighbors , and that is what zoning is for. Zoning began as a way to keep [coal plants] far from residential areas. There were a lot of people trying hard to find the win win solution to keep them where they are, including the neighbors and restaurant owners working together. But the issue is complicated. Smoke capturing devices are very expensive. Engineering stamps and permits which make near term solutions are expensive. That money actually takes away from money that could be used at a new space.
Moving to a new site requires extensive refitting for their type of cooking. It's a very hard situation - especially for early business owners capturing rapid growth. I and many others in town tried to help. Simply, there is a lack of affordable restaurant location options with the right zoning -- similar to a lack of affordable housing. Everyone on the council wants them to be successful.