A Hispanic-owned business in Liberal is at the center of a controversy over the color they chose for their new building. Erika Marino purchased a building on 210 S. Kansas Ave. in 2023 to expand her business, Chikas Fresas, located in the Kansas Avenue Overlay District. The owners got approval for interior renovations. They say the city inspector told them they didn’t need any permits for the exterior. “When they started the process of the painting, midway, they gave her a correction notice to stop immediately with the color, with any of the renovations for the outside of the building,” said Citlaly Reyes, the daughter of Erika Marino. Liberal’s zoning code requires any building color changes in the Kansas Avenue Overlay District to be approved by the zoning and planning commission. “The stated purpose initially was to maintain the character of Kansas Avenue and to emphasize a consistent design and appearance,” explains Keeley Moree, the Director of Public Affairs for the City of Liberal.  KSN News asked the mayor why another building on the street was already painted pink. “The other pink building had a much smaller face that they had to paint,” said Jose Lara, the Mayor of Liberal. “They did that on the weekend when inspectors aren’t working to stop them.” Now it’s up to the planning and zoning commission to decide the future of the building. “If that is approved they are cleared to move forward and continue with their full renovations and paintings, if it’s not approved at that meeting we will be taking it to our city commission,” said Moree. The third option is for both parties to decide on a “mutually agreeable color scheme.” Mayor Lara says at the moment, the city doesn’t follow a specific color scheme, which is why he’s pushing to repeal the almost 20-year-old ordinance. “I don’t like that one person can be on there, and they like lime green, and another person be on there, and they like dark purple, and there might not be any cohesion,” noted Lara.  The business was allowed to finish painting the front while they went through the process. In the meantime, Reyes says they are appreciative of the support they’ve received.
Source: KSN-TV