County P&Z commission tables major variance request
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by Patty Cheffey
The Marion County Planning and Zoning Commission has tabled a zoning issue after being advised to do so by the county’s attorney.
Charles Webster, the planning and zoning commission chairman, reported during a recent meeting the county had been in touch with their attorney and learned Jared Murphy will need to obtain a variety of permits before the request could move forward.
Murphy is requesting a major variance for non-conforming lot sizes on 11 lots on around 2.3 acres in the Assessor’s Subdivision of the Cary River Lots.
As the request is located in a flood plain, Murphy will also need to abide by the county’s Floodplain Management Ordinance.
Among the missing permits are county and state sewer permits as well as possibly some federal permits.
“We cannot do anything with this issue until he has obtained those permits,” said Webster. “We have even been advised to not even discuss it.”
Following a motion and approval to table the issue and with no further business to discuss, the meeting was closed.
However, having a “captive audience” as around 30 individuals were present concerning Murphy’s request, Teya Stice, Marion County’s land improvement coordinator, discussed the need for some of those present to obtain county permits if they have a recreational vehicle on their site.
According to the Stice, in an effort to be “totally transparent” with those in attendance, she said she had contacted the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) flood plain management officer.
“Every county that has floodplain insurance for its citizens has to pass a floodplain management ordinance,” she said. “Marion County has that and has an ordinance, and we must abide by those rules.”
Among those rules are provisions for recreational vehicles. According to the regulations, “recreational vehicles placed on sites within all unnumbered and numbered A zones and AE zones on the community’s Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) either:
• be on the site for fewer than 180 consecutive days, or
• be fully licensed and ready for highway use; or
•meet the permitting, elevation and the anchoring requirements for manufactured homes of this ordinance”.
Basically, she said, what this means is if a recreational vehicle sits in a flood plain for six months, the owner needs a permit. If it is there for a year, they need a second permit in that year.
Stice indicated her plan is to send out letters reminding the lot owners they would need a permit.
When questioned about Murphy’s request, Stice said she did not know how soon that issue could come before planning and zoning again, but she would notify those people within 1,000 feet of the proposed zoning change.
In addition, she said there would be something in the newspaper reminding people about the meeting.