The application for Royal Farms to occupy the old Stevens Hardware space was rejected by the Acting Planning and Zoning Director.
On February 7, 2014 the Annapolis Department of Planning and Zoning issued a letter to Royal Farms stating that the use proposed by the organization is that of a “convenience store.” Planning and Zoning informed Royal Farms that in the absence of further information, and because convenience stores are not permitted in the C2 Conservation Business zoning district, it would be an “untenable position to move the application forward.”
Royal Farms has filed an appeal to that determination and further contends that the use is of a delicatessen. A Board of Appeals public hearing has been scheduled for March 4, 2014 at 7:00PM in Council Chambers, 160 Duke of Gloucester Street.
The Ward One Residents’ Association is also gearing up to fight this application. This morning, they sent out an email to residents encouraging them to attend the appeal hearing and stand in opposition. WORA says that allowing Royal Farms to operate on Dock Street will have “far reaching implications by providing a road map for how to circumvent the City Code and its carefully crafted zoning Tables of Uses.”