By Lon Anderson
Moorefield Examiner
At the October meeting of the Hardy County Planning Commission held last week, Commissioners didn’t take a lot of actions, but did learn about significant progress on several key issues.
First and foremost, County Planner Melissa Scott informed commissioners that just that morning, the County Commission approved the creation of a GIS (Geographic Information System) Board for the County. “That was a big win today to get that done,” she reported.
Scott, who has over 25 years’ experience with GIS information systems, had been urging the County to do this and had drafted the proposed resolution.
The newly created eight member board will oversee and coordinate the operation of a state-of-the-art computer mapping system that is critical to the efficient delivery of services by many County departments, especially the County’s Office of Emergency Services, which must [private]have correct and precise locations of homes and businesses to be able to respond quickly to emergency calls such as fire and ambulance services.
Currently, Scott noted, “point locations (in the system) for a lot of homes are wrong– as many as 1,000 are estimated to be wrong. We have to get that database right before you can use the system for other things.” Some of the address points, Scott said, were so far off that they were not even located in the right land parcels.
Besides addressing exact address locations, the system can be used, according to the resolution, to address special flood hazard, landslide and soil areas, elevation, hydrology, rail, historic designations, water and sewer lines and municipal zoning.
Accordingly, the County Commission appointed key officials from county government to the new Board including: the Assessor, Clerk, Sheriff, OEM/911 Director, Surveyor, Planner, PSD Manager and a County Commissioner. The primary function of the Board, according to the resolution, will be to coordinate efforts and thus reduce both duplication and expense, while ensuring the data quality meets required industry, state and federal standards.
In another important area involving the Planning Commission, Scott reported that Matt and Jill Teets’ application to operate a mid-size slaughterhouse along state Route 259 in Lost River was granted by the County’s Board of Zoning Appeals at a hearing last month. Meeting on September 18, the BZA granted a conditional use permit allowing the Teats’ to move forward with the construction of the facility after a prolonged application process dating back to last spring.
At the time the first application for a slaughter facility was filed, the County had no easy way to respond, since the land was zoned commercial and butchering was not an allowed activity in that zoning. This prompted the drafting of new zoning ordinance language by the Planning Commissioners which required them to hold a public hearing and then approve draft language for the County Commission to consider.
This also required the County Commissioners to hold a public hearing before passing it last summer. That approved language finally allowed the BZA to act, holding a hearing and ultimately granting a permit to let the family move forward with building the slaughter facility that will also include a retail butcher shop.
Scott also reported that the Planning Office had received several different types of complaints this month, which should serve as a strong reminder for the Commissioners of the need to move forward with its update of the County’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan or Comp Plan. That plan must be updated by 2021, and then related zoning ordinances must be adopted to bring the zoning code into conformance with Comp Plan updates.
Citizen complaints, she said, involved two areas—the operations of AirBNB’s in residential areas, suspicion of people living in campers, and a couple of new salvage complaints (abandoned/junked vehicles).
Concerning the AirBNB’s, Scott noted, they are allowed under current ordinances, to operate in residential areas, but if formal complaints are filed, we can review them.
The second area, folks living in campers, is an ongoing issue in Hardy County and other rural areas, largely because of potential health concerns about the lack of proper sanitation—sewer and water.
The third area, more new salvage complaints, sparked a discussion about how many vehicles should be allowed to remain on a property. “Our current ordinance is too strict,” said Scott. It allows just two cars. “When we tackle this, there could be a flood of business,” she said.
“Does the Town of Moorefield have an ordinance concerning this?” asked Commission President Lee Lehman.
“Yes, they do,” responded Commission Vice Present Greg Greenwalt. “I know some people who have been impacted.”
“One of the problems here,” Scott said, “is that DOH (Department of Highways) normally enforces the ordinance in other counties, but not here.”
“The state defines it as three cars with specific things wrong with them,” Scott continued. “We should be doing this under DOH code. They issue salvage yard licenses. But the County must do the ordinance that sets the parameters. It’s very convoluted as how all this operates now.”
“I would like to address this now and get it over with,” Scott noted, “but I hate for us to be side tracked. It all illustrates how much we need to get our big projects—the Comp Plan and updated zoning ordinance passed.”
“Do you in your travels (around the County) think it (junked vehicles) has gotten worse?” Greenwalt asked Lehman.
“No, it’s about the same,” Lehman responded. “But it’s incredible to me the number of boats on trailers that will not be going anywhere again. There ought to be a law…,” he quipped, smiling. “If the Town of Moorefield deals with the (junk) cars and dilapidated buildings…we should be able to.”
Scott also reported that after having a committee meeting to review the County’s draft floodplain ordinance, she thinks it is OK and has sent it off to the state for review. The County is in a process with the state and FEMA to update its flood ordinances. Scott is also the County’s floodplain manager.
Scott also reported that the BZA will hold a hearing right before the Planning Commission’s meeting next month concerning a request to locate a single-wide mobile home just off State Route 220 on the south side, on Berry Patch Drive.
Building activity, Scott told the Commissioners, was slow in September with 20 permits issued, but only a total estimated construction value of $550,000.[/private]