dholly
Platinum Member
On an EXISTING structure?
Just came back from the town zoning board meeting wherein I was hoping to have an area variance granted. Instead, a shining example of local government boondogle and another two week delay.
Short story if you care:
I put up a 12'x16' pole shed 8 or so years ago with the blessing (and help) of the neighbors. When selling the house, buyers atty finds no shed building permit was ever issued. Ok, go to get permit, building inspector discovers shed is in violation of 15' side setback requirement (setback is 10'). Erh! Obviously, neither my neighbor nor myself was correct when we decided on the location of our common line!
So I apply for hardship variance due to fact that several mature trees would have to be removed in order to move shed location. Not to mention, it's a pole shed and to move it means to destroy the shed itself. Show up at the meeting to plead my case. Nobody spoke in objection, however, it is then determined that EPOM (Environmental Protection Overlay Map) restrictions may also apply.
Now I might have been born yesterday but it wasn't at night so I know anything with 'Environmental' or 'Protection' in it is not necessarily bad, but put them together and it probably spells BIG problem. Sure enough, Town atty goes thru all the regulation books but cannot determine the exact date the EPOM restrictions went into effect. You'd think they'd have a record of something THEY put into effect, but it was asking too much I guess. So the Board cannot begin to rule on a variance until they can determine if I'm effected by the EPOM. If I'm not 'grandfathered' in on the EPOM restrictions, rules are clear - remove the shed, the variance is a moot issue. Got my fingers crossed on that, you bet.
But what really irks me is that the variance application and information has been in their possession for several weeks before the zoning board meeting and apparently NOBODY even had the courtesy or common sense to look at it until the meeting. Not the building inspector, not the code enforcement officer, none on the 7-member board nor the town atty, clerks, etc. And I was very vocal when filing to ensure that the board knew that a home sale was contingent upon a resolution. Maybe I'm naive but, really, it's a small town and that doesn't seem unreasonable. Unfortunately, many people go thru life expending only the minimum effort, with little regard to the potentially negative ramifications of their IN-actions.
Sorry for the vent, but it's a real pisser when you have to pay their public office salaries too.
Just came back from the town zoning board meeting wherein I was hoping to have an area variance granted. Instead, a shining example of local government boondogle and another two week delay.
Short story if you care:
I put up a 12'x16' pole shed 8 or so years ago with the blessing (and help) of the neighbors. When selling the house, buyers atty finds no shed building permit was ever issued. Ok, go to get permit, building inspector discovers shed is in violation of 15' side setback requirement (setback is 10'). Erh! Obviously, neither my neighbor nor myself was correct when we decided on the location of our common line!
So I apply for hardship variance due to fact that several mature trees would have to be removed in order to move shed location. Not to mention, it's a pole shed and to move it means to destroy the shed itself. Show up at the meeting to plead my case. Nobody spoke in objection, however, it is then determined that EPOM (Environmental Protection Overlay Map) restrictions may also apply.
Now I might have been born yesterday but it wasn't at night so I know anything with 'Environmental' or 'Protection' in it is not necessarily bad, but put them together and it probably spells BIG problem. Sure enough, Town atty goes thru all the regulation books but cannot determine the exact date the EPOM restrictions went into effect. You'd think they'd have a record of something THEY put into effect, but it was asking too much I guess. So the Board cannot begin to rule on a variance until they can determine if I'm effected by the EPOM. If I'm not 'grandfathered' in on the EPOM restrictions, rules are clear - remove the shed, the variance is a moot issue. Got my fingers crossed on that, you bet.
But what really irks me is that the variance application and information has been in their possession for several weeks before the zoning board meeting and apparently NOBODY even had the courtesy or common sense to look at it until the meeting. Not the building inspector, not the code enforcement officer, none on the 7-member board nor the town atty, clerks, etc. And I was very vocal when filing to ensure that the board knew that a home sale was contingent upon a resolution. Maybe I'm naive but, really, it's a small town and that doesn't seem unreasonable. Unfortunately, many people go thru life expending only the minimum effort, with little regard to the potentially negative ramifications of their IN-actions.
Sorry for the vent, but it's a real pisser when you have to pay their public office salaries too.
