Holmes Beach officials work to regulate chain businesses

The Holmes Beach Commission discussed ways Thursday to regulate chain businesses through a possible ordinance or by reaching out to Manatee County officials for help in trying to protect local business owners and preserve the area’s character. The exchange of ideas took place at a meeting in Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach.

The effort comes as the result of concern over the expected arrival of a Baskin Robbins-Dunkin Donuts to a vacant space in a Holmes Beach plaza. The empty store at 3302 E. Bay Drive is nestled in a 60,000-square-foot plaza built in 1986 and purchased in 1993 by Benderson Development Co., one of Manatee County’s biggest landowners. Local business owners and city officials are worried about how the chain could affect small businesses in the area, as well as the 7-mile barrier island’s charm.

Chet Zarzycki, who owns Holy Cow Ice Cream and Gifts in the same plaza at 3234 E. Bay Drive, shared his concerns with officials.

“It would be my hope that you commissioners would aggressively address the issue that Benderson poses in bringing a major distributor into our shopping plaza and, while I confess that it would certainly impact my business as well as the businesses of a dozen other stores in that plaza, I think the issue is much greater than that,” Zarzycki said. “I think if we allow this to happen, we open up a door that we’re never going to be able to close again. It’s not about my future. It’s about the future of the island.”

The 65-year-old Zarzycki said he’s been coming to Anna Maria Island for 20 years to visit with his family, and he’s been a business owner for two.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to see a McDonald’s in every corner, or a Burger King, or a Starbucks,” he said. “I think that we have to take a real, hard look at what we can do.”

Officials talked about other city ordinances with regulations on chain businesses, including one from San Francisco.

“I think it can be regulated. Will it be easy to do? No,” City Attorney Patricia Petruff told city officials. “So, if you do choose to move forward, you have to do it in a very thoughtful, careful manner that involves, I think, stakeholder’s input.”

Holmes Beach Commission Vice Chairwoman Jean Peelen suggested Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson have an emergency meeting with Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy and Bradenton Beach Mayor William Shearon, or talk to Manatee County commissioners about how to approach Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“We are selling this place all over the world as unique, as individual. ‘We are not a place for chain stores, we are Old Florida’ is their sales pitch everywhere,” Peelen said. “We really need to get them. They are the people who could talk to Benderson, not us.”

Johnson said he would work with the city attorney on the ordinance approach and also committed to Peelen’s suggestion.

“We’ll figure out a way to do it,” he said. “We’ll figure out a way to pull some people.”

Judy Owens, who owns Cupcake Delights at 3324 East Bay Drive, told the Herald last week she called Benderson Development Co. and told them she didn’t think it was fair after seeing a sign on the empty store reading, “Coming soon: Dunkin Donuts & Baskin Robbins.”

“It’s not so much just taking business. It’s that I think it changes the landscape of the island when you start bringing franchises like that in,” she told Herald reporters. “We need our Publix and our Walgreens and that kind of stuff, but when it comes to just that kind of franchise I think it kind of hurts it. People come to the island because they want the uniqueness and the ‘Old Florida’ feel and when you start popping those up all over then ... I think it’s just going to open the door for other franchises.”

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 9:48 PM with the headline "Holmes Beach officials work to regulate chain businesses."