I was a bit dismayed by this story in last week’s C-Ville:
Ten years ago, Dave Taylor opened the Read It Again, Sam used bookstore, and as a way of pulling in customers, he placed waist-high racks of paperback fiction outside his front door on the bricks of the Downtown Mall.
“Twenty-five percent of my business is from the carts,” he says.
A decade later, however, Taylor was notified by a letter dated June 12 from the city zoning inspector that he was violating city zoning, specifically code sections 28-30 and 28-111, which state that “the primary purpose of the public streets and sidewalks is for use by vehicular and pedestrian traffic.” As a result, “no retail items are to be displayed on the downtown pedestrian mall or on any sidewalk at any time.”
I know what you’re thinking — what about all those kiosks up and down the east end of the mall, full of unique imported goods? Scarves, rings, scarves, jewelry, scarves, chongsam, etc.?
While this excluded approved vendors like those that sell dresses or sunglasses in the middle of the Mall, the notice did cover “bookcases, tables, statues and furniture,” items that were to be removed by June 19. If they weren’t, a criminal misdemeanor and a possible $2,500 fine loomed.
According to city spokesperson Ric Barrick, a recent “change of guard” in the city’s zoning office as well as complaints about the Mall “becoming more of an obstacle course and creating safety concerns” led to a re-evaluation of the legality of displays such as the bookstore’s.
I’ve never been run over by a stationary cart full of books, but I bet it’s less painful than being hit by a car in one of the mall’s vehicular crossings.
Filed under: books, charlottesville, virginia Tagged: | Downtown Mall, Read It Again Sam, zoning laws
Books are such a wonderful thing, and how even more wonderful if books found themselves not only in the hands of many, but also tumbling upside the heads of those who seem to be lacking the ever so fading obvious “common sense.” I am of the opinion that if the city zoning inspector were to be so blessed as to have a book knock at the door of his/her head, that he/she may be so inclined to open it up and gain insight into common sense, or perhaps find themselves as a character who rediscovers it.