City codes may force Orem man to end pumpkin sales

City codes may force Orem man to end pumpkin sales


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OREM, Utah (AP) -- A farmer who has sold pumpkins from his front yard in Orem, Utah, for 20 years could be forced to close because the business violates city codes.

The city is enforcing a zoning law that only permits people to sell produce from their homes if they grow the food on the property, The Daily Herald of Provo reports. The pumpkins sold by Darrell "Bud" Durrant are grown outside of the city on a 25-acre farm.

Durrant has requested a waiver from the city, which is expected to be decided by the end of August. City officials could also amend the zoning ordinances to permit the business, but it's unlikely that it could happen before Durrant would begin selling pumpkins in mid-September.

"I feel like I'm being singled out and unjustly dealt with," Durrant said, noting there are stands selling everything from produce to rock chip repair throughout the city. "Up and down every road, someone is selling something."


I feel like I'm being singled out and unjustly dealt with. Up and down every road, someone is selling something.

–Darrell Durrant


The pumpkin stand is especially popular with children, Durrant said. Despite the crowds his business may attract, he said it has never caused a traffic accident.

If the waiver isn't granted, Durrant said he isn't sure where he would sell the pumpkins.

A complaint about traffic and parking issued prompted the city crackdown on Durrant's business, said Orem city planner David Stroud. Although the complaint came in last year while Durrant was still selling pumpkins, Stroud told Durrant he wouldn't be closed until this fall.

Neighbor Dan Nelson said Durrant, a retired Geneva Steel worker, earns up to half his annual income from the pumpkin stand.

Many neighbors are supportive of the business continuing, Nelson said, in large part because Durrant has been known to take care of families in need.

"Bud wouldn't admit this, but he has provided potatoes to the needy families in our neighborhood," Nelson said.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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