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evidence of our support for what you are trying to do in preserving the ambience of the town." The town can’t do that, “unless everyone cooperates as the town grows — as the church grows.” Even now, he said, church members are having difficulty finding parking places for church functions during certain times. “There’s nothing we can do" about the growth, “this is just a concern.”
Ms. Haase, he added, “has offered her cooperation — our concern is what happens down the road —in 10 years, after Rae, after us.”
Mayor Morehouse acknowledged that lack of consideration for neighboring landowers is a perennial concern in a town as small as Washington, with limited facilities such as parking, but added that the conversion of the property from residential to commercial use is “inevitable. It is surrounded by village mixed use and village services” zoning.
Diane Bruce, who lives arcoss the intersection at the comer of Middle and Gay Sts., told the council that she opposed the permit. And, she added, “I do not think that it is inevitable that the house become commercial. Maybe it is, but I would like to think not.”
Part of the problem, she pointed out, is that Barbara Wood, the present owner, was unhappy when the welfare office building was put up right next to the property line, and she put a “big commercial price” on the property. It could be “a desirable residential property,” she maintained, “but people who may have had intentions to buy it as residential property didn’t offer because of the high price.”
She also expressed concern for what uses may be proposed later. She noted that at that time application could be made under the provision for “existing retail use,” which would then allow the entire building to be used commercially.
And, she said, the ordinance specifies that application can be made only by the owner or tenant. Since Ms. Haase’s agreement is with Roger Batchelder, who last Wednesday was only the contract owner, she is neither tenant nor owner and therefore could not legally present the application. Only Mrs. Wood could make the application, Ms. Bruce told the council.
Although Peter Kramer pointed out that in many cases contract own
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