I’m looking to open a bar / game space, and every good location I find for rent is a B1 designated by the city as a bomb shelter and thus not legal for business. The zoning is commercial, but not the usage.
I can find all of the laws regarding how zoning is determined, but nothing on how they decide if it’s a bomb shelter. I’m told by people I’ve asked (my CPA etc) that it’s not possible to change it.
Lots of businesses operate illegally in these spaces. The ones that are up for rent were businesses prior, so it’s just the way things are done. BUT, what I want to know is, what happens if I’m caught? Because if they’re going to come back and make sure I’m no longer using it, I’m screwed.
I understand some of the rules changed not too many years ago, and they’ve also just gotten more strict on enforcing things. Existing businesses are grandfathered in. But opening a new business, I feel like I might get caught.
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