As a business owner looking for premises to lease, you need to be aware of many issues. One of those is the zoning restrictions relevant to the particular area.
There is no point in finding a space to rent that you can imagine as just right for your business if you are not allowed to put your business there.
Zoning restrictions can promote harmony
You would not want your child’s school situated next to an industrial warehouse that belches out thick clouds of smoke all day long. You might not be best pleased if a late-night club opened up next door to your house and disturbed. Yet you probably accept that such businesses need to go somewhere.
Zoning laws are there to orchestrate things in a way that ensures the varying needs of the community are met. Many might consider a town with no bars allowed too boring to live in or a town without commercial premises impractical, as you would need to travel elsewhere for services and employment.
Zoning variances are sometimes possible
It’s doubtful that those in charge of designating zones always get it right. Or maybe their decisions were appropriate ten years ago, but are no longer right for the area. If you believe it is in the public interest to site your business in a particular area, then you can apply for a zoning variance.
Variances are given individually. Just because someone else has been granted a zoning variance for their business does not mean you will get one, even if you are in the same industry. Maybe the authorities felt making an exception to allow one office or restaurant was valuable, but that two would be too much.
In all cases, it pays to ensure you understand the current zoning situation of the property and the options you might have to seek change before you sign a commercial lease.
