By Kathy Johnson
Trager Brothers will open a coffee shop in the Rockfish Valley Community Center after the Nelson County Board of Zoning Appeals ruled in favor of a decision by Nelson’s director of planning and zoning, Tim Padalino, who had earlier said that the proposal conformed to county ordinances.
About 25 people addressed the board at its September 3 meeting, a strong majority in favor of the shop, before board member Kim Cash made a motion to support Padalino. Two speakers who opposed the roasting facility cited a concern that particulates might be emitted or that the aroma from the small batch roaster would harm property values. Proponents favored the shop as a social attraction to the RVCC that would take advantage of the center’s new broadband service, plus help support the RVCC though its rent, and because the shop would create four or five jobs.
Cash’s motion was seconded by Ronnie Moyer and then adopted unanimously. Board member Gifford Childs, who is also the president of the RVCC, had recused himself from the matter earlier and did not participate in the vote.
RVCC executive director Stuart Mills said after the ruling, “We’re really gratified not only by the vote to uphold Tim Padalino’s interpretation of the ordinance but more so by the show of support for RVCC and the Trager Brothers family.”
Only the task of getting the roaster’s relatively small vent shaft through the roof is delaying the opening the café now, Mills said.
Twenty-five people DID NOT address the board of zoning appeals as stated in this article. That will be evidenced in the minutes of the proceedings as those addressing the board had to sign an affidavit.
There may have been approximately 25 people in attendance altogether but only a handful actually spoke and while the majority of the remainder were there in support of this deal, it was obvious that they also had a strong personal and/or financial interest in seeing it happen, in that they were employed by TBC or the RVCC or were on the board of the latter.
Your bias here is evident as well.
Proud Petitioner of the Appeal
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