Local coffee shop and retailer Sightsee is seeking a zoning variance from the city to open a second location at 698 Rutledge Avenue, near Hampton Park.
Founders Allyson Sutton and Joel Sadler, who opened the first Sightsee at 125 1/2 Line St in Cannonborough/Elliotborough in 2019, are petitioning the city’s zoning board for an exception to serve coffee at the Rutledge property, which is currently zoned for retail only. The request will be reviewed at a September 5 meeting of the board.
According to the application, the coffee bar will be geared mostly towards takeout, with a limited 40 square feet of seating intended mainly for customers to wait while their order is prepared. No food will be prepared at the location, but they plan to offer pastries from local bakeries. A remaining ~1450 square feet will be dedicated to retail for the outdoor lifestyle products and local art they supply. The shop plans to open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., 7 days per week.
Sutton and Sadler are residents of the North Central neighborhood and received generally positive feedback on a July 11 initial presentation of the plans this year.
