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By JANE BANGLEY
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
An ordinance establishing a board of zoning appeals for the Town of Washington, another establishing a town planning commission and an ordinance amending the town’s zoning ordinance were adopted by the Washington Town Council at a public hearing on Wednesday, March 27.
Mayor Peter Kramer read each ordinance before hearing questions or suggestions from members of the audience. The town board of zoning appeals ordinance as read originally by Kramer, established a town board made up of five residents of Washington with all BZA powers and responsibilities.
Any provisions of the town’s zoning ordinance that would conflict with the BZA ordinance were repealed, and the council’s power to hear applications for zoning variances was ended by the ordinance. “This ordinance is absolutely essential, this change, the fact that this has not been the case has rendered the 1970 ordinance indefensible in a court action as far as variances go,” Kramer said.
The members of the town BZA will be appointed by the Circuit Court judge, and one member may also be a member of the planning commission. Council member Wallace Critzer recommended that the ordinance include a requirement that the BZA members be registered voters as well as residents of Washington. The ordinance, with Critzer’s recommendation, was adopted.
The planning commission ordinance was the next subject of discussion at the meeting. The ordinance abolished the joint planning commission with the county and provided for
the appointment of a town planning commission.
The county Planning Commission had recommended that there be three members, but the State Code requires five. One of the members will also be a Town Council member and all will be appointed by the council from the names of Washington residents and registered voters.
“There are areas of the zoning ordinance that need work, in fact the whole zoning ordinance is now under review by the council, and the county Planning Commission has been serving the planning function for the town,” Kramer said. “It became apparent several months ago that there was no way that the county Planning Commission
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