Land use amendment and license renewals on council agenda

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    DEXTER — The Dexter Town Council will meet Thursday, April 10 at 7 p.m. with a fairly busy agenda.
    One major item to be discussed is a proposed ordinance to amend the current zoning laws to permit manufacturing in the town’s commercial zones.

    The item was tabled at the last council meeting and referred to the Dexter Planning Board where it was the subject of a lengthy discussion last month.
    The proposal stemmed from an inquiry by a group of local entrepreneurs who want to restart footwear manufacturing in the community. However, one of the ideal locations for the startup — the old Dexter school complex on Abbott Hill — is zoned commercial. Under the town’s current zoning laws, no manufacturing is allowed in a commercial zone.
    So the planning board has recommended that the council consider changing the zoning ordinance to allow three types of manufacturing in the town’s commercial zones, provided that the plans meet certain criteria.
    Several municipal permit renewals are on the agenda for restaurants, taxi operators and pool rooms along with new applications for Cooper’s On The Trail Restaurant at 612 North Dexter Road, the former site of TJ’s Restaurant and Moe’s Roadside Eatery.
    There will also be a presentation by the Dexter Regional Development Corporation which spearheaded the revival of Fossa’s General Store, a non-profit venture that specializes in homegrown produce, baked goods, dairy products, arts and crafts. The store opened last summer after four years of planning.
    Other items on the agenda include an ordinance to amend the Dexter Fire Department’s bylaws and several municipal quit-claim deeds.