After complaint forces ‘heartbreaking’ closure of business, Seattle aims to loosen land use rules

Founder and President of Yonder Cider in front of their detached garage / cider shop. (Courtesy photo of Yonder Cider)

Yonder Cider – a popular Greenwood store that sold cans and growlers to take away from a detached garage – recently had to close after a neighbor filed numerous complaints with the city. Now Seattle city councils are hoping to relax land use laws so companies like Yonder can operate freely, at least for the duration of the pandemic.

The beloved Yonder Cider closes after a Seattle neighbor complains

The owner of Yonder Cider, Caitlin Braam, had long tried to open her own cider tasting room. Those plans were put on hold by the pandemic, which resulted in her choosing to instead use a detached garage to house a scaled-down iteration of her business.

However, seven months later, it was successfully shut down by a neighbor after she warned the city that operating a store selling alcohol one block away from a school was in violation of Seattle’s existing land use laws.

“We had regular guests who had been visiting us for months, families who would ride their bikes to see us every weekend, and neighbors who were happy to discover us on their evening stroll until the last day,” said Braam. “The closure was heartbreaking.”

Council members Dan Strauss and Lorena Gonzalez want to change that, especially given the ongoing COVID crisis, which is forcing many companies to find creative ways to stay open.

“The Land Use Code is not designed to respond to emerging needs such as the changing environment created by the pandemic,” Strauss said in a written press release.

In practice, the proposed bill would remove a number of restrictions placed on home-based businesses by current Seattle land use laws. Limitations that would no longer exist are:

• Customer visits only required by appointment
• Limiting companies that no longer have homes to only two employees who are not also residents of the home
• Require that there be “no evidence of home employment” from outside

The plan calls for the regulation to stay in place for the duration of the pandemic in hopes of providing a “level playing field” for companies like Yonder Cider.

Why the Seattle entrepreneur is opening a new coffee shop during the pandemic

“We appreciate the city council’s openness and forward-looking thinking on this issue,” said Braam on Monday. “Starting a small business – COVID or not – is difficult and expensive. Enabling small businesses to operate safely and securely from home not only frees them from the financial burden and stress associated with long-term commercial leases, but also gives them the chance to be a lively and active part of their community. “

The bill will be presented to the council’s land use committee on Wednesday, February 24th, with a vote before the full council set for Monday, March 15th.