WILMINGTON — Alleged sign violations brought Matterhorn Apothecary and Matterhorn Dog House owners back to the Development Review Board.
At the start of an appeal hearing Monday, co-owner Ronnie Horn rescinded a request for a green cross that symbolizes medicinal cannabis.
"It is the rest that are very important," she said, adding that the signs at her North Main Street business are "how we can let the community know we are different, what we carry."
In January, Town Attorney Ed Adrian notified the Horn family about unpermitted signs and the potential for fines or the matter to go to Vermont Environmental Court if changes aren't made. The signs in question mostly were related to advertising for the hotdog stand known as the Matterhorn Dog House, not the cannabis store Matterhorn Apothecary or Matterhorn & Reed, a separate space where spas are shown and sold.
A site visit was held in March followed by a hearing in April. Several changes were made, then Adrian sent the business a notice of violation in September.
Vintage-style signs for hot dogs and sausages available at the food stand help "identify who we are," Horn said.
"We're not just throwing hot dogs in water," she said.
Other hot dog related signs, which she described as "whimsical," were removed earlier at the board's request.
Signs at the business require historic and village design review. The ordinance says each commercial business can have one freestanding sign, one overhanging sign, one structure mounted sign designating an entry and one structure mounted sign facing a public area.
Board Chairwoman Cheryl LaFlamme established that the fire pit and chair shaped like a green leaf will remain as permitted.
Board member Diane Abate said the country store doesn't need to advertise everything it sells.
"It sounds like we've been working with you in terms of sort of going beyond what's been done for other businesses," she said.
Horn told the board, "We've eliminated all that you've asked for except for these that we feel will catch people's eyes."
Abate said the hot dog stand itself, which was approved by the board, is "pretty prominent" and "pretty visible."
A sign with the hot dog stand's logo can be combined with another sign advertising Chicago-style hot dogs, Horn's attorney Timothy Fair said. A sign about parking also could be removed if need be.
The family wants to keep a sign that says "Franks For Coming." They expressed a willingness to remove signs for Polish and Vienna sausages, and to move a chair made of skis and displaying the store's logo to the side of the building.
After the close of the hearing Monday, the board has 45 days to issue a decision.
"We just hope you can help us succeed in Wilmington," Horn told the board.
Board Vice Chairman John Gannon called the case "unusual," as appeals of the board's decisions are typically reviewed by the Vermont Environmental Court.
"However, it is my understanding that the applicants missed the window to file an appeal with the court," he told GreenMountain Cannabis News. "It is also unclear to me whether this is truly an appeal since many of the issues raised at the hearing yesterday were new proposals that were not considered by the DRB before."
Jason Dubac, owner of The Woodshed food cart on Route 100, is urging the town to complete a sign study that was started by an intern but never finished. At the hearing Monday, he said the current system involves "selective enforcement I feel I have endured" under three zoning administrators.
WILMINGTON — Presenting plans to add hot tubs and a hot dog stand on an upper portion of the…
When the plan to add hot tubs and a hot dog stand to the property was presented to the board in 2023, a group of residents raised concerns about the large green leaf-shaped chair outside. They viewed it as a sign and advertisement for cannabis.
At the time, LaFlamme noted the chair doesn’t have any words displayed so it isn’t considered a sign.