BSU rezoning approved

BSU hopes to change its multi-purpose room into a coffee shop.

By James Patrick Schmidt

Published Oct. 17, 2006

The Columbia City Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve the rezoning of part of the Baptist Student Union.

"Possible immediate plans would be to put in an ATM from a local bank on the southwest corner of the property — an outdoor walk-up machine, and hopefully eventually a coffee shop in our front lobby," BSU spokesman Jerry Carmichael said.

As a result of the rezoning, the BSU will be allowed to use the space for banking and ATM services, a café, sandwich shop, coffee shop, retail sales of religious materials, books and other merchandise and parking lots.

When the council opened the public hearing on the issue, Dan Simon, lawyer for the BSU, stood to make the argument in favor of the rezoning.

"It comes to you with the unanimous recommendation from the zoning commission. It comes to you with an affirmative recommendation from the city staff. And to my knowledge, there is no opposition to it," he said.

When Simon offered to answer questions from the council, Sixth Ward Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe referred to a recommendation from the city staff that the BSU have bicycle parking in order to better accommodate customers.

Simon addressed these concerns.

"Bicycle parking is already present there," he said. "We feel that we have already met that requirement."

The area BSU plans to use for a coffee shop is presently serving as a multi-purpose room.

"Right now there are three or four tables with chairs and a couple couches and easy chairs and one longer conference table," Carmichael said. "Right now, it is an area where students can have a sack lunch, study or congregate."

In a previous interview, Carmichael said there are two reasons the BSU wants to turn its lobby into a coffee shop.

"One is obviously to raise revenue for our ministry," he said. "Two: the idea of providing a good place to get a cup of coffee and sit down and have a good conversation would be a good thing. The idea of making an atmosphere like that available to students would be positive."

In the same interview, Carmichael expressed plans to set the BSU apart by offering a certain kind of coffee.

"I'm looking into providing fair-trade coffee," he said, "which is a certain part of the coffee market where the coffee growers and farmers are paid more of a fair wage."