Ventnor Zoning Board officials investigated the owners of Ventnor Coffee to decide if offering live music is ancillary to the coffee shop’s main business.
In a related story, Ventnor Coffee owner Michael Einwechter has recently been connected to a variety of financial accusations relating to his business Schallus & Sons Construction.
Einwechter’s online business based in Ventnor, has also been alleged to have taken approx $2,000 in online payments for a former Corvette collectible business he ran.
Neighbors have complained that loud music at their coffee shop has caused problems for the Ventnor Heights neighborhood.
Music is not a permitted use in the Commercial Zone along Dorset Avenue.
Under the city’s land use laws and its mercantile license, Ventnor Coffee is classified as a retail outlet.
A tea house, which is the next closest definition to a coffee shop, is also an allowable use in the commercial zone. There is no reference in the ordinance regarding music as an ancillary service, but it is allowed in the more restrictive Commercial/Mixed Use Zone across the canal, Callaghan said.
Callaghan also said there is no differentiation in the ordinance between live music and piped-in music.
READ MORE