Banks Given Variance To Display Goods On Sidewalk

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J.D. Banks, owner of J & D’s Bargains in Cordell, was granted a variance from City Code 8-2-1, which prohibits the “display of goods, wares, and merchandise for sale, or to sell the same, on any street, alley or sidewalk, or from any vehicle parked thereon, in the corporate limits of the city.”

Banks appeared before the council and argued that his display benefitted not only his business, but also other businesses in the city by encouraging people to stop and look. Those people, he said, also ask about other businesses and restaurants in town and help to fuel the local economy. The display, he said, “helps keep businesses open.”

Council president Steve McLaughlin opposed the variance, arguing that making such an exception would make the ordinance useless. Council woman Vona Hicks joined in the dissent, arguing that the ordinance has been in place for years and only the recent enforcement of it has brought the issue under control. Granting a variance, she said, would only lead to more businesses pushing the bounds of what is allowed.

The council voted 5-3 in favor of allowing Banks to display merchandise on the city sidewalk in front of his store, but limited the display to no more than three feet from his shop’s front wall.