CAPE CHARLES, Va. — The Town Planning and Zoning Department recently addressed a backlog in its reporting obligations as mandated by Virginia state law. Under various sections of the Code of Virginia, including Section 15.2 – 2221 and Section 15.2-2309-8. C, local governing bodies are required to receive annual reports from certain boards and commissions.
These requirements apply to the Planning Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals, and the Wetlands and Coastal Sand Dune Board, each of which is mandated to submit an annual report on their activities to the local governing body. Additionally, while the Historic District Review Board and the Harbor Area Review Board do not have specific mandates for annual reporting in the Code, the Town Council deems such reports valuable for ensuring alignment with town policies and objectives.
However, the Town Planning and Zoning Department faced challenges in meeting these reporting requirements due to staff turnover over many years. This led to a backlog in work commitments, including the preparation and submission of annual reports.
Planning Commission
Board of Zoning Appeals
Historic District Review Board
Harbor Area Review Board
Wetlands & Coastal Dune Board
With a full staff, the department has prioritized addressing this backlog to fulfill its legal obligations. Efforts have focused on reviewing and approving a variety of applications, including zoning reviews for building permit applications, Historic District properties seeking renovations or additions, uses and structures exempt from building permits, commercial and industrial projects, and subdivision plans.
Additionally, the department has been involved in reviewing and analyzing applications for compliance with zoning ordinances and design guidelines, as well as scheduling and notifying public hearings for zoning ordinance amendments, conditional use permits, wetlands permits, and variance applications.
Most of these reports encompass activities spanning multiple years rather than a true annual report for a single calendar year.
For further information or inquiries regarding the department’s activities and reporting obligations, individuals are encouraged to contact the Town Planning and Zoning Department directly.
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An excuse for everything. Just admit the staff turnover was because you didn’t like how someone didn’t agree with town council so you had to keep forcing them out. Then you didn’t know how to do the job yourself and had no one to do it. Let’s not forget some jobs were only created for certain individuals because they needed a job.