Food stand issue coming to a head

Barring a last-minute reprieve, Ky Karnecki, owner of the Wild Mountain mushroom and jerky stand on the corner of Locust Street and Highway 20, will have to move his structure off its leased property by the end of February.

The semi-permanent status of the temporary stand became the focus of controversy within city planning circles for more than a year.

At Karnecki's request, a discussion of his situation was added to the February 14 city council agenda. Karnecki has reportedly been told that there are likely not enough votes to return his issue to the planning commission for further consideration.

In July of 2011, Karnecki opened his jerky stand on the southeast corner of Locust and Highway 20.

When he opened his stand, Karnecki was granted a temporary-use permit good for six months as a seasonal business. One of the conditions of that permit was the requirement to remove his building when the permit expired. That requirement become the focus of contention.

At the time, Karnecki said, "I'm really hoping to be able to leave it standing year-round as I plan to continue the business season after season. I'm in this for the long term."

Over the next year-and-a-half, there was a series of testimony, reviews by the planning commission, code change requests and extensions granted by the city. Relations between Karnecki and city staff and planners were strained, as he argued that he was not being treated equitably and planners felt he was trying to get more than he had signed on for with his permit.

This culminated in a May 29, 2012, city council decision that upheld the current building code without Karnecki's requested changes. At that point, Karnecki's temporary stand was being allowed to operate for more than 18 months against his six-month permit.

After the May 29 meeting, Planning Commission Chair Alan Holzman told The Nugget, "I think he (Karnecki) has a wonderful opportunity to make his business go. His main issue was that he wasn't getting a chance to prove he could make a go of it with his business model in this business climate. To get first a nine-month opportunity, and then get a second nine-month opportunity - I'm not sure what more we, the city, could do to help him achieve success."

In anticipation of the council hearing Karnecki's argument one more time, The Nugget received a letter from one of Ky's employees, Candyce Park. Park moved to Sisters in 1989 and she says, "Over the past 23 years I have watched businesses come and go, and more recently go and go and go. I find it very upsetting that with so many empty storefronts in this town, a business that is actually surviving and employing people is being pushed out of business by the city."

Park continues, "I have been unemployed for three years. I finally found a steady part-time job last fall working for Ky at Wild Mountain. I have been promised my job would become full-time this summer, and Ky has also offered my son a part-time position for the summer. Now that I have finally found a job, the city has told my employer he has to close his doors and move his building off the property just because there are no sidewalks."

The requirements for a temporary-use permit are much less stringent than those placed on someone applying for a permanent business license. Permanent businesses are required to have sidewalks, curbs, driveways and handicapped access. The lot where Wild Mountain is situated has none of those expensive improvements.

Karnecki's business is one of the only Sisters businesses operating under a temporary-use permit. Richard's Produce on the west end of town is similar to Wild Mountain, but Richard's has been operating under a permanent business license for more than five years and currently meets the curb and access requirements.