VASSALBORO -- The town planning board Tuesday night approved an application from an Ellsworth businessman to open a coffee shop featuring topless waitresses.

Between 50 and 60 Vassalboro residents showed up, most of them voicing disapproval, and four television camera crews lined up along the walls.

Despite complaints and objections, town officials said there was nothing they could do to stop Donald Crabtree from opening the shop. No Vassalboro town ordinance prohibits such a business, and if residents formed a committee, drew up such an ordinance and the town approved it, Crabtree's business still would be grandfathered in, unaffected.

One woman who identified herself as Paula Furbush told planners the majority of residents don't want topless waitresses in Vassalboro.

"We aren't very happy about having this kind of business in our town," she said. "I am a small business owner, and if I came to a town and saw that this many people did not want it there, I would reconsider."

Crabtree arrived late and quietly took a seat at the front of the room, facing members of the board. He remained silent unless asked a direct question, and often responded in monosyllables.

Much was made over planning board members' decision to remove the word "topless" from Crabtree's application after planning board member Douglas Phillips' suggestion.

"I'm just concerned that by approving an application that includes 'topless,' it indicates that we, the town, are in favor of this," he said. "And I'm not comfortable with that."

Several in attendance characterized the removal of the word as a political stunt as a way of avoiding responsibility for the decision that most seemed to feel was inevitable.

But planners said they could not bar a business simply because of the employees' uniforms, or lack thereof.

"We have limited authority," Planning Board Chairwoman Virginia Brackett said. "You can yell at us all you want, but it doesn't change what we can do."

A petition circulated, voicing disapproval of the decision to allow the topless coffee shop to start up in Vassalboro. Toward the end of the meeting, about 40 or more had signed it.

Several people asked town planners what sort of actions they might take to try to prevent Crabtree's business from starting. Brackett told them they could bring it up to selectmen at the next meeting, on Jan. 14.

The coffee shop will be in a former motel, which has been the site of many business ventures in the last several years, and is located on Route 3 just over the Augusta line. It was most recently Mac Daddy's Pub at the Fat Cat Grille, which closed three or four years ago, said Planning Board Chairwoman Virginia Brackett.

The one-story building with log cabin-style siding still has an array of signs out front, including a real estate sign, a Pepsi sign, a solicitation for someone to lease the building and one that says "Entertainment Thursday, Friday, Saturday."

Tuesday's meeting lasted nearly three hours.

Joel Elliott -- 861-9252

jelliott@centralmaine.com