WELLFLEET — After three decaffeinated years and three rocky rounds of zoning board hearings, it looks like it will once again be possible to get a cup of coffee on Commercial Street.
Randy Williams and his son Charter Williams, who own the 190-year-old building at 6 Commercial St. and live in an apartment on the second floor, first came to the zoning board of appeals in February, seeking a special permit to lease a small part of the first floor as a coffee bar.
In the late 1990s, Charter, then called Chad, ran The Juice there. Most recently, from 2018 to May 2022, Trudy Vermehren operated the Fox & Crow there before moving it to 70 Main St.
A craft store is now in part of the former restaurant space. The Williamses want to lease the rest of it to Pamela Stahl. Charter said Stahl plans to offer coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and some lunch items — mostly for takeout, because lack of space would limit seating to four stools.
On Feb. 27, the Williamses asked the ZBA for a permit to continue the previous use as a food service establishment. Charter said the two-year lag in restoring that use was caused by plumbing issues, which he blamed on the previous tenant.
The board asked to see a formal plan showing the location of the food service and the number of seats being requested along with proposed parking. The space previously had 19 seats but no required parking spots.
Participating remotely, Charter became increasingly upset during a continued discussion on March 13. He had provided a plan from 2019, with four parking spots drawn in alongside the building. That would not suffice, said the board.
Charter frequently interrupted and shouted at board members as they offered opinions. Toward the end of the session, his frustration boiled over. “You guys are crazy,” he shouted. “There won’t be a business left in town if you have your way.” He cursed the board.
Board member Wil Sullivan called Williams’s tirade “outrageous.”
“I hope the next time you come, you have your lawyer,” said Sullivan.
Williams took Sullivan’s advice. On March 27, attorney Ben Zehnder represented the Williamses, saying he had agreed to do so only if Charter did not attend the meeting.
Zehnder told the board that the Permit Extension Act, approved by state legislators in November 2024 to promote development stalled by the pandemic, allowed permits that were active between January 2023 and January 2025 an additional two years.
While the restaurant use at 6 Commercial St. ended in May 2022, Wellfleet bylaws give businesses two years after closure before a permit is considered abandoned. That meant both the special permit and the pre-existing, nonconforming use of the property remained in effect, Zehnder argued, and the Williamses didn’t need any other permit.
Board members agreed and voted unanimously that no action was required.
“Ben has brought a level head to this conversation,” said board member Trevor Pontbriand, who commented that he hadn’t seen “a way forward” after the contentious discussion on March 13.
Chair Sharon Inger told Zehnder “I’d encourage your client to be a good neighbor” regarding the use of the lots belonging to adjacent businesses.
According to Zehnder, Stahl previously operated the Red Shack in Provincetown and Day’s Market and Deli in North Truro.
An opening date for the coffee bar has not yet been set.
