STUART – The City Commission voted unanimously Oct. 13 to grant a continuance to the owners of a handful of Spice & Tea Exchange franchises for a conditional use exception to their application to open a new store in Downtown Stuart until Nov. 10 but still heard comments from a couple of public speakers on the idea of allowing chain operations downtown.
Just a week prior, Stuart’s Community Redevelopment Board had voted 4-2 to recommend the Commission deny the application. Chairman Mark Brechbill led the charge on that opposition, insisting he was primarily concerned with how such formula businesses – also known as chain operations – would impact the mom-and-pop business owners already in existence.
“My comments at this point have nothing to do with your place,” he told Spice & Tea Exchange franchise owners Glenn and Kimberly Gordon on Oct. 7. “It actually all has to do with protecting our local businesses. That’s what the formula business district is about. We’ve got some vacancies on the street and the prices are high, and our local businesses are having a hard time paying those prices.”…