By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
The sale of the vacant Pesso’s Pawn Shop at the top of the hill in Williston fell through recently when the developer found out he couldn’t sell alcohol on the property because it was located within 300 feet of a church.
Williston City Council President Debra Jones said the pawn shop property is less than 300 feet from St. Barnabas Episcopal Church. Alcohol sales are prohibited within 300 feet of a school, church, or daycare under city rules.
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church is directly behind the Williston Quick Care Clinic on Noble Ave. The church is on NW 1st Ave. The old pawn shop building is across U.S. 27A and a short distance above the clinic.
Big O’s package store is next door to the former pawn shop property but has operated at the same location for many years and is grandfathered in and exempt from the 300-foot requirement.
Jones said the developer talked to city officials and was asked to consider four or five other options for developing the former pawn shop property. He signed a contract with property owner Michael Pesso and has 30 days to decide whether he wants to go forward with the purchase.
She wasn’t certain what day the contract was signed. She said it might have been as long as two or three weeks ago.
“We gave him four or five options of things that Williston needs besides what he wanted to do with that property and can’t do with it. I don’t know if he’s going to look at the other options or not,” Jones said.
The developer, whose identity isn’t being revealed at this time, wanted to operate a club and package store on the pawn shop property. Operating a club would have meant on-site sale of alcohol.
“It’s zoned commercial intensive so he can pretty much do anything he wants to do there that doesn’t require alcohol sales,” she said. “We told him other things we need in town like a steakhouse; we need places to have retail sale of clothes and shoes. We can buy boots here but not shoes. We also need places for children to have things to do.”
“This particular developer and I just don’t want to tell you who he is at this point because he’s not ready for that; he has other recreational facilities for adults and children that he has in his repertoire. We said we would love that as well, something for teens and youth to do as well as adults,” she said.
Pesso told Jones the developer previously attempted to buy the pawn shop property from him but he wasn’t ready to sell at that time.
“I think there are some code enforcement issues with it. He’s more willing to sell it. That’s why he went back to the developer and said come talk to me about it,” Jones said.
Pesso is being fined $100 a day for code violations on the property.
Jones said the developer wasn’t given anything in writing concerning the prohibition against selling alcohol within 300 feet of a church, daycare, or school but he was told it was against the city’s rules. He was also told the church is located at 521 NW 1st Ave., too close to the pawn shop property to sell alcohol.
“We hope he will buy it anyway and do something different there. He may decide not to, there’s no telling,” she said.
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City of Williston Regular Meeting July 20, 2021; Posted July 21, 2021
