Special use permit hot topic at planning meeting

Raymer resigns from board.

A letter of resignation was submitted by Randy Raymer to the Saratoga Planning Commission at last Tuesday’s planning meeting.

Raymer cited sad medical news and the need to devote attention to his family as he expressed regrets in resigning from the board.

Rod Weinman, in a letter to the planning commission expressed his desire to be appointed to another term. The board voted to recommend to the Saratoga Town Council that Weinman being appointed for another term on the board.

Royce Kelley was on the agenda for new business.

Kelley told the board for the last two or three years he has been harassed continually while trying to get his work done. Kelley complained that he was to receive a letter stating that he needed a permit to sell firewood. “No one has confirmed that I was doing anything wrong.”

Kelley said that he would appreciate the board checking the facts first.

The board was asked by Kelley if any of them had a business in their home and, if so, did they have a special use permit.

Bev Hempel, chairman of the board, said she did have a business in her home and had applied for a special use permit 15 years ago.

Rory Grubb said complaints had come from Kelley’s neighbors about the sounds of the chainsaw going all day and that if he was selling firewood from his property, he needed a permit to do so.

Kelley said he was not selling firewood, but was donating leftover logs from building his home to people to sell.

Grubb said it didn’t matter who was selling the wood, it was being done on Kelley’s property and he still needed to get a special use permit and go through the proper process.

The planning commission discussed the challenges it continues to face on how to enforce an ordinance on home businesses when they don’t know there is a business in the home. They also talked about how to inform the public of the procedures they need to go through when they do have a business in the home.

Once again, the permitted “allowed” versus permitted “needs a permit” interpretation of the ordinances were discussed.

Saratoga councilman Steve Wilcoxson said the town attorney, Tom Thompson, interpreted permitted as “needs a permit”. The board was not able to reach a consensus and recommended Thompson attend the next planning meeting to explain it to the planning commission.

The planning board talked about multi-use zoning and the challenges it faces with the technology now in place which allows people to do business anywhere using their cellphones and computers.

The next Saratoga Planning Commission is scheduled for March 12, 2013 at 5:30 p.m.

 

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