Bakery on Colorado's Lookout Mountain Road asking for public hearing after permit denial
A debate is ongoing in Colorado over a bakery on Lookout Mountain. A few weeks ago it became clear that the future of the French bakery Et Voila Bakery was in jeopardy after a complaint was made about two trailers on their property.
The concern was that the property was not zoned to have the trailers. Despite being told that an appeals process could take weeks, months or years, the bakery's appeal was denied in less than one week.
On Sunday Et Voila Bakery was nearly sold out in the mid-afternoon. The pastries were cleaned out by travelers and cyclists that frequent the area, but the espresso machine was still running. But even as the coffee continued to drip steadily, uncertainty was surrounding the business.
"We are just asking for a variation or exemption but they denied it. So, trying to find a solution," said co-owner Rachel Dufour.
The trailers are designed and built to look the same as the bakery and are used as a test kitchen, office and place to sleep for a couple hours a night before Rachel, her husband Eric and her sister (and head chef) Ruth Miquel, wake up to start the day again.
"Any residential uses are not allowed on a commercial use property, meaning any mobile homes or dwelling units fall outside of the acceptable commercial uses," said Jefferson County in a statement sent to CBS Colorado roughly two weeks ago.
When asked if there was any new information regarding the alleged denial of permits, the county referred back to the original statement sent to the press. The county has also made it clear that the bakery isn't at risk and is zoned properly. The trailers on the property are the issue. Rachel argues that the change -- which would cause all three to find living potentially far from the bakery as they sold their home and invested their money into the business -- would impact the quality of food (everything is made fresh daily) and drink that has made them a community staple. Most mornings, she told CBS Colorado, Ruth starts her daily prep in the bakery at 1:00 in the morning.
"Zoning doesn't want us to close the bakery but if we aren't allowed to be on land then we cannot operate the bakery in the same way," Rachel explained.
The Dufours are asking for an exemption or even a chance to appeal the denial. They aren't looking to live on the property in perpetuity, instead aiming to hire more hands which would allow them and Ruth to be able to live off the lot. When asked how long that would take, Rachel told CBS Colorado that they believed it could be done within two years. In the meantime, they're hoping for a public hearing with the county after a change.org petition to help fix the zoning issue accumulated over 2,500 signatures.
"I would like to be able to explain our story to the people who decide and bring the community with it," said Rachel. "People come with friends, they come with family, they come with colleagues. It keeps us going every morning."
