CAPE CHARLES, Va. — The Cape Charles Board of Zoning Appeals has denied an application from Derek Roncaioli seeking to overturn a zoning determination that prevents a houseboat from being licensed as a short-term rental in the town’s Harbor-Commercial district.
The board rejected Roncaioli’s appeal of a decision issued by the town’s Zoning Administrator on Oct. 3, 2025, and later amended on Nov. 10, 2025. The zoning determination concluded that the houseboat does not meet the town’s definition of a short-term rental and is not permitted in the Harbor-Commercial, or HAR-C, zoning district.
According to the determination, the houseboat is not considered a structure and is not used exclusively for human habitation, disqualifying it from classification as a short-term rental under the town’s zoning ordinance. The letter also stated that the houseboat is a non-navigable floating home and does not fall under U.S. Coast Guard jurisdiction, placing it instead under the town’s zoning authority.
Because the Harbor-Commercial district does not allow single-family homes under Section 3.8 of the zoning ordinance, the zoning administrator determined that the use was not permitted.
Roncaioli filed the appeal under Section 2.6.4 of the Cape Charles Zoning Ordinance. The property involved is located within the HAR-C zoning district.
In other business, the Board of Zoning Appeals elected Bill Stramm as chairman and Elise McMath as vice-chair.
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Someone finally voted correctly.