Twofer Tuesday so let’s talk about a couple of major renovations involving two of my favorite businesses in South County or for that matter, anywhere – St. James Deli and Pier 450.
My friend Dave Thompson was in Buzzy’s Country Store the other day and of course everyone asked him the same question “When are you opening?” Poor Dave, he has been hit with this question ever since he and his wife Sherry closed many months ago to renovate their St. James Deli.
Good news is that Dave’s current response of “Soon” was a huge improvement over what he has replied to folks during his previous visits to Buzzy’s Country Store when he would simply say “I don’t know.”
Throughout the process, Dave has kept me informed of the various ins and outs that he has had to negotiate to pull off doing such a big renovation. He has told me how every step of the way, he and Sherry have had to deal with numerous regulatory obstacles and building code matters.
As Dave would tell me about these dealings with the powers-that-be, I empathized with him while shaking my head in disbelief that the process is so convoluted. Throw in having to negotiate things like supply chain issues along with all of the unforeseen things that pop up when doing any construction, and it has been a long haul for Dave and Sherry.
However, there is a light at the end of the building tunnel so look for St. James to be back up and running again very soon.
My Pier 450 friend Peggy has likewise had her share of hassles with and from the building gods. Peggy and her business partner Cathy have done a great job in renovating the former Scheible’s property which sits in the Critical Area, i.e. 1,000 feet from the water.
As Peggy and Cathy are well aware, building codes and regulations become even more complicated and demanding whenever one is dealing in the Critical Area. The rules keep changing and some of them can be semi-arbitrary. When trying to meet and comply with all of the many requirements, it is a constant challenge to do so.
A recent post on 450’s FB page discussed some of the issues that Peggy and Cathy are still having to deal with (click here.) Here is an excerpt from that post:
Another example: you can see from this old aerial photo, in its past life, the parking area here extended all the way to the water. Today, we have taken away about a third of an acre of that parking area and replaced it with gardens and grass surfaces. Still, we were recently targeted for “expanding the parking lot” (i.e., creating additional impervious space). Now we have to spend time and money — and go through yet another review process — to prove the contrary, no matter how obvious.