Even though an Oakfield resident got thumbs down from the county planning board in her bid to open a small retail store in the former St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Oakfield, she still might be able to do it.
The church building at 15 S. Main St., next to the 7-Eleven in Oakfield, isn't zoned for commercial uses.
When the application first came forward, County Planning Director Felipe Oltramari thought the owner, Denise Linsey, would qualify for a home-occupation exemption, but it turns out Linsey doesn't live on the property. The property does have a house on it, but it is a rental property.
Oltramari said to qualify as a home-occupation, the property resident must be the owner or an immediate family member of the owner.
Linsey, a Mary Kay distributor, was planning to use the church as an outlet for customers to view Mary Kay products.
But the county planning board, which voted on the matter Thursday evening, doesn't have final say in the decision. Its vote is a recommendation to the Oakfield Planning Board, which can still grant the variance with a majority-plus-one vote.
Oltramari suggested Linsey seek a rezone of the property. Linsey said the house and the church are too close together. Oltramari said that could be addressed with a variance on the setback.
