Planning Commission Meeting Staff Reports

Concept Plans

One of the more notable Concept Plans that I processed prior to going before and presenting the Staff Report in front of the Planning Commission was for the establishment of a campground on a 11.65 acre parcel neighboring the Shenandoah River.

It should go without saying that most people visit West Virginia to escape the hustle and bustle of city life both in Washington, D.C. and NOVA as a whole, which makes the idea of establishing a campground make perfect sense. This Concept Plan was also the first of its kind that Jefferson County experienced, which means that I was both able to be the first one to review this new version of an application as well as make long-term determinations to the consultant (a former Jefferson County Planner) that will have long-term impacts in the future, for the betterment of the entire area.

Looking at the application comments in PURPLE, you will note one major issue I noted was the concern regarding visibility along the road. Understanding this concern, the applicant made necessary edits allowing for safer mobility around the entire campground.

Variances

What was once the “bread and butter” of a Jefferson County Planning Commission meeting was now an application that only came in once in a blue moon, and the very first one that was assigned to me was notable to say the least…

Anyone who has worked in local government for a while can probably categorize every kind of application into one of two broad categories: applications where the applicant is trying to do their due diligence and complete everything by the book or applications where the applicant is trying to correct a past mistake made by either a former property owner or consultant… this was one of the latter category!

One bit of information that most people don’t explicitly say is that for applications that are fixing a wrong, it feels like you as Staff are trying to convince the Planning Commission approval is a good idea, rather than remain unbiased. Normally a viewpoint this would be frowned upon, but the truth is we are local government, we strive to make everything easier for the constituents of the area. We are here to serve the public, and that is the most notable thing a Planner can do, as our decisions have major long-term impacts that will affect everyone for years to come.