The Roastery, a coffee shop specializing in premium single-source beans and the beverages made from them, had plans to demolish the adjacent building and build a new large coffee roaster, but the Stowe Development Review Board The plan was abandoned in September when the council refused to approve it. .
Located on Packer Street, The Roastery is the brick-and-mortar and wholesale distribution facility of The Morning Movement, a Panamanian coffee business run by Jordan Saglio, his partner Kaylee Dubeau, and their business partners. The base will open in the second half of 2022. TJ Walden and Sarah Landry.
Saglio later said the company chose to open its flagship store in Stowe after visiting for his brother’s bachelorette party. The building was once home to Snow’s Market and Deli for 50 years, and briefly served as the center of operations for Stowe Cider. He was inspired by the care and precision shown by the town’s beer and cider makers, and felt he and his friends could do the same with Stowe’s coffee.
Despite the location’s limited seating and parking, Walden reported that the coffeemaker has developed a loyal following in the city over the past two years. In September, The Morning Movement rebranded to simply Movement Coffee Roasters, repackaged its beans with a new black bear logo in honor of its business location, and recently launched a line of Japanese matcha green tea. Announced expansion of offer.
“Things are going really well. Our online store has been growing steadily since we’ve been here, and the cafe is becoming more and more popular,” Walden said. “I think the main reason for that is the great local support we have.”
To expand their business, The Roastery’s owners told the Development Review Commission in April that they would demolish the building next door, which was home to a snack bar business from the 1950s until about a year ago, and build a larger coffee roaster. I applied for a permit to build a store. That way, Movement can move more products.
The project was considered at review board meetings in June and August, and Morrisville engineer Tyler Mumley said at the August meeting that the snack shack could be replaced with a coffee roasting facility given its historic use. It argued that this was the best use of the property.
The Roastery and Snack Shack buildings are both located in a rural residential 2 zone. This means that only primarily residential uses are permitted in this area. Operating a roastery is considered “light industry” and is not permitted, but Mr Mamley said the site’s “history of non-conformity” meant this new development, even though the snack shack had not been open for more than a year. He argued that it should also extend to uses.
decision time
The board was not convinced.
In its denial, the commission acknowledged that lawful nonconforming uses were permitted, but noted that “one of the primary purposes of zoning is to ‘develop consistent uses[of that area of ​​the town]. The aim is to gradually eliminate non-conforming uses because they are inconsistent with the purpose of ”
According to the commission, the application also does not comply with several of Stowe’s regulations aimed at regulating nonconforming uses, ensuring that new construction does not unreasonably impact local traffic and that local failed to prove that it would not unduly affect the nature of The proposed parking lot did not comply with all applicable regulations, among other issues.
Walden said he and his business partners remain undaunted. A larger roasting facility would be better, he said, but improving parking remains a top priority. They currently operate out of just a small gravel lot that can comfortably park a few cars just off busy Route 100.
But the ruling didn’t dampen their enthusiasm for Stowe or their plans to continue expanding their business.
“Even when we are very busy and have a lot of visitors from out of state, the locals still come for us and our most dedicated supporters are still here, every day. Every other day, every few days, whatever,” Walden said. “They are the backbone of everything we do in this area.”
