There will be no moratorium on bed and breakfast establishments in residential zones in St. Joseph. Instead, the city commission plans to amend its zoning laws to ban any future such businesses in R1 zones and possibly R2 residential zones as well. Commissioner Mary Goff says no one has come to her since the last discussion on the issue this fall and said they want a bed and breakfast near them.
“I don’t believe they belong in R1,” said Goff. “I’m tired of going through the work of our master plan, and these things come before us. Nobody wants them.”
Andy Sawyer owns Duncan House at 1117 State Street, which is one of the city’s three bed and breakfast businesses. He disagrees with Goff.
“For the next meeting, I will get some of my neighbors that live next to me to (show up),” he said, adding the “squeaky wheel is what we hear. The vast majority of the people directly around me are happy with what we’re doing. They’re very satisified.” Sawyer asked how the city commission can “justify spending our tax dollars, going after legitimate businesses?”
His business was approved by the city commission in February by a 3-2 vote, with Goff and Commissioner Jeff Richards in opposition.
