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Hey, planning and zoning commission of Cromwell, Connecticut…you’re on notice!
When thirteen-year old Joe Cadieux was just 10-years-old, the local Connecticut boy decided to do what many industrious young’ins do, and he started his own business. Instead of going with the time tested Lemonade Stand, however, Cadieux decided to play to local fishermen by selling nite crawlers gathered from his front yard. While he only made about $5 to $10 per month on this business, Cadieux seemed content with the fact that he was the Man, instead of working for the Man.
But then the real Man stepped in and brought things to a screeching halt. The local planning and zoning commission realized that Cadieux’s little “Nite Crawler” sign violated local zoning regulations banning the advertising of home businesses so they shut…him…down. Yup, the town of Cromwell hit a thirteen-year-old boy with a cease and desist order. One member of the commission said that Cadieux should’ve done like anybody else: “In a residential zone, if you want to put up a business and work out of your home you really need a special permit…[y]ou come before the commission and state your case.”
At least some officials in the town are reasonable, acknowledging that the commission’s decision goes against common sense: “This was over the top. Kids selling night crawlers and lemonade are part and parcel of life in small-town Connecticut.” The commission, however, appears to be enjoying its power trip and is unwilling to budge on the issue. Is there really nothing better for them to do than go after a kid selling worms? If not, sounds like the Cromwell taxpayers could see their money spent in a much more useful manner, ‘cause this is just ridiculous.
Comments
A few years ago, my brother and sister, age 8, set up a lemonade stand in front of our house in Hilton Head, SC, one of the world capitals of residential zoning laws, and were promptly shut down, not because of signs or permits, but because the authorities were worried that it would compete with existing local businesses.
Posted by Stephanie | August 14, 2006 2:25 PM