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i4 Planning May 1999 p p L R A A N C N T I I N C G E tower became the city plan- ner in Escalon, California [pop. 5,500), two years ago, that Cen- tral Valley community had a home occupation zoning ordi- family residence generates in a day. "This meant that a con- sultant, who might make two additional trips to see clients during the day when streets are at their lowest traffic lev- els, would have to close shop," Hightower says. "We knew the number of telecommuters is increasing every year, and we decided to stop throwing up hindrances against them." Instead, Escalon last year adopted a two-page home oc. cupation use permit form, on which home-based entrepre- neurs agree to meet nine spe- cific conditions: Only those living within the home may be employed; no sign can ex- ceed two square feet; no retail To the surprise of local officials, staff learned that 18 local residents had federal perm.its to sell firearm.s from. their hom.es. ness conducted entirely within a residence; that means it can- not have outside storage or more than two nonresident workers employed there simul- taneously. Major permits are available for home occupations that em- ploy up to five workers, pro- vided that all activities take place within the home or in an enclosed accessory building. Outside storage of materials and vehicles is allowed if the areas are screened from neigh- boring homes. Since each ma- jor permit requires separate zoning board approval, appli- cants must pay $500 into an escrow fund to cover inspec- tion and legal fees. Once issued, both catego- ries of permit run indefinitely, as long as the business and its ownership remain unchanged. "It would have been easier to draft a tougher ordinance and say no to many existing busi- nesses," Retzlaff says. "What we've created will require more effort on our part to enforce, but it was necessary to keep these opportunities open." Update needed Other communities have also adopted creative approaches to the home-based business dilemma. When J.D. High- nance left over from the 1960s. The old ordinance banned any home business that trig- gered more than 10 vehicle trips-the average that a single-