Posted on 01/20/2011 3:40:35 PM PST by SmithL
On May 5, 2010, Robin Dalrymple walked excitedly into Berkeley’s Planning Department to apply for a use permit. She wanted to convert the vacant Ritz Camera store on Solano Avenue into an ice cream parlor.
Eight months later, her store is still not open.
Veronica Bradley signed a lease in April 2010 to transform what had been Left Coast Cyclery on Domingo Avenue into a store selling olive oil from around the world. After working with five city departments — building and safety, health, zoning, public works and engineering, and fire prevention –she finally got a permit in November. The store opened Dec. 24.
It took Jim Meyers only six weeks to launch his store, Wine Thieves, in Lafayette. It hasn’t been that easy in Berkeley. He has been trying since March to open a branch on Domingo Avenue. He is crossing his fingers that he can open the store next week.
“We have had the most difficult time,” said Bradley, who said she paid more than $50,000 in rent before Amphora Nueva opened. “We heard this about Berkeley, but we had no idea it would be so challenging. I blame it on the city of Berkeley. Given the vacancies you would think they would do whatever they could to make the process a little less painful, a little less costly. In other parts of the country cities bend over backwards to help business.”
Berkeley has long had a reputation of being a difficult city in which to do business. There are many factors contributing to this perception, including complex zoning laws, neighborhood business quotas, and a 60’s era desire to give neighborhoods, rather than the planning department, discretion in saying what kinds of businesses can move into nearby commercial districts.
The impediments to doing business, . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at berkeleyside.com ...
I would think that the prices for goods sold would reflect all of these extra costs imposed by the community, so no complaining about high prices...
The “planners” put this stuff in effect to “keep business quant and individual” but in the end only large chains with deep pockets and used to dealing with bureaucracy can deal with these places.
I know someone who has had a lease since Apr and still is not open due to town permits and inspection. And this is FL.
Hey, it’s what they want. I think the cost of whatever is being sold should reflect all the hoop jumping and extra costs. Plus every item sold in Berkeley should have a 75% added carbon tax and an additional 75% added just for the hell of it tax.
No kidding. What it usually comes down to is "My lawyer can beat up your lawyer." A really good example was when White Castle wanted to open a restaurant in Overland Park, KS, and the city decided that a white building would stick out like a sore thumb in the community: They wanted WC to build a "Beige Castle." It was fought out in court, and WC won, and they built a white building.
Mark
I have a friend, owns a series of fire trap, dump, non viable wood frame buildings. Real eyesores. He wants to pull them down, increase green spaces, reduce footage by half, build a nice building. Two years out, 50K in fees, still not started. Bureaucratic got to justify their jobs. Detroit is the economic future.
People’s Republic of Berkeley ping!
Wine Thieves is a nice store - I’m shocked he can’t get his Berkeley location opened.
Try Portland, Maine. Totally adversarial process to be approved for anything. I gave up, built out my store, and apologized later, paying a small fine.
Considering the carrying costs of waiting, and a bit of publicity (David vs: Goliath style), I figure I saved thousands and became visible quickly.
"Dan Marks, director of the Planning and Development Department, said that the design requirements for different commercial neighborhoods are not written down anywhere. There are informal codes, however, suggesting what will fit in and what won’t. The planner working with Dalrymple knew the taste of the neighbors on Solano Avenue and thought the black and white awning would provoke a formal challenge to Dalrymple’s plan. That would mean she would have to go through another public hearing.
“Rules aren’t written down anywhere,” said Marks. “But the planner has worked in the neighborhood a long time and she knows what the neighborhood likes. It is her role to guide merchants to something that won’t be challenged."
The seismic code also kicks projects in the ass out there. I know of houses out there that are essentially total losses because improving them would trigger code requires seismic upgrades costing mucho dinero.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.