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6/20/2007
A city code that's really stupid
A friend asked me the other day if I could figure out why his non-profit community cultural group couldn’t get a permit to make food for Appleton’s downtown Farmers Market. (Summer Saturdays on College Ave. Terrific, great stuff, fun.)
The City of Appleton Health Department keeps good tabs on food processors – which well they should. Non-profit organizations whose expertise is definitely not food production are especially targeted – and kept well-informed and educated – by friendly (really!) Health Department personnel. The organizations must apply for – and are most often granted – temporary food processing permits.
Ok. All well and good.
Here’s the rub. My friend’s organization needed a permit to produce their special international food items in a local church. The yummy menu items were for sale at the Farmers Market. You know the situation - other non-profits make food for brat fry fundraisers, Octoberfest or other seasonal celebrations, International Food Market functions – that sort of thing.
Church kitchens are often used by these clubs because a church’s mission typically dovetails perfectly with those non-profits doing good things in the community. And typically too, the kitchens are set up to handle larger-scale institutional or quantity cooking. Makes complete sense.
One more important detail. Appleton’s zoning code doesn’t permit commercial food processing on a residential-zoned property. Not all communities opt to take this position, but it makes good sense. You may not want to live next door to a neighbor who runs a busy sandwich shop or catering business out of her basement.
So, back to the rub. A church can be built on property zoned as residential - and many are. Yup, you guessed it. Temporary food permit or not, NO food processing is allowed by non-profit groups that offer their items for sale. Church weddings and funerals, yes. Non-profits, no.
So, trying to be helpful, the city is providing lists to selected non-profit groups of churches in the area that are zoned commercial.
Ok, that’s nice. But can’t somebody just do something about the health code and/or the zoning code that would allow the desired activities and disallow restaurants-in-a-basement? Geez. Somebody, anybody (an alderperson out there?) just find a way to get it done.
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