At the February 6, 2018 regular meeting, the Cape Charles Planning Commission received a staff report on permitted and conditional uses in the Industrial District M-2 for consideration. The Bayshore closing places the town in a position where it must be creative and logistically intelligent regarding the future of the Industrial District M-2 district.
Town Planner Larry DiRe has reviewed the current set of uses approved for M-2, and “found some counterintuitive uses that may not best serve the goals stated in the Comprehensive Plan.”
According to the Town’s 2016 Comprehensive Plan, the Industrial (GB, M-1, and M-2 Districts) land should “not detract from residential desirability” and “contribute to the existing maritime and industrial nature of Cape Charles.” The Industrial M-2 District designation was created to accommodate those land uses.
“Since both Town planning and zoning documents speak directly to the desired goals of revitalizing industry, and the historic Port of Cape Charles, and advancing the traditional settlement patterns of the Eastern Shore’s towns and employment centers the opportunity to advance those goals on a parcel appropriately geographically situated should be pursued as a ‘good planning practice.’”–Staff Report
Staff proposes the following text amendments: B.1 (library or other municipal building); 4 (adult or child day care center); and 11 (art gallery) should be removed from the district. B.4 is more suited to the Commercial – 2 and 3 districts by right, since child day care centers are permitted in those districts through the incorporation of all the permitted planned unit development Specialty Commercial district uses. Art galleries are a permitted use in every commercial zoning district in town and within the planned unit development.
From the current Section C conditional uses staff recommends C.4 (research, experimental testing and development activities); C.7 (Concrete plant; manufacturing, sales, and distribution of concrete and related products); C. 8 (Railroad tracks, sidings, yards, or roundhouses); C.9 (Marinas, docks, and wharves, if contiguous to the Cape Charles Harbor); C.10 (Port facilities; marine, rail, trucking, and/or intermodal terminals, including transfer, storage, handling, inspection, processing, and/or transport of containerized, bulk, and/or other cargo); and C.17 (warehousing facility) be reclassified as permitted by right since all these uses either reflect current uses, or are logical adjunct activities to the current permitted uses.
Town Council has been briefed on the changes.
Larry DiRe, thanks for getting in front of this rather than reacting. The time to review our ordinances is before we are presented with a challenge not after. One of the best things about our continued presence in the print and online media is that businesses want to be here. We don’t have to bow to every demand just to create a few jobs.