Zoning Out: How Zoning Laws Impact Openings and Development

DAN KURASH Tomorrow, Bob Musser, a Pittsburgh-based franchisee with Wireless Zone, will open his first location just over the border in West Virginia. Musser’s six other locations in the Pittsburgh area all required state permit submission before he could proceed, resulting in a waiting period before he could officially open. But that is not the case with Musser’s new location in Morgantown, West Virginia. Helping meet the new demand for Verizon service in the area, the lax zoning laws helped speed up his opening and perhaps future development for this brand. “With all of the six previous stores I have opened, and dealing with Pennsylvania State zoning laws, it was much easier to open in West Virginia,” Musser said. “Since there is no local zoning, we didn’t have to get a permit for a build-out, so it made the process much more efficient. I found it was easier to open in West Virginia because of this.” With the state of the economy the way it is, and timing always being of the essence, we see West Virginia as a potentially large development market for a number of brands in the near future. Although Musser did not have to submit a permit in this particular case, consult state laws for your location because often, it is up to the city municipality, per West Virginia City Applications. If this paperwork is not needed for your case, it could save you considerable time. Additional state source: here