The Cape Charles Town Council approved textual changes to the town ordinance which will open the door to a vacation rental free-for-all. Council approved the basically unfettered use for accessory dwellings in the residential area. The updated text reads:

AirBnB rentals in Cape Charles

Article IV, Section 4.2.E.12|Article III, Section 3.1.F.5 (new sections for addition to the ordinance) In the Residential Estate District the total footprint area of all accessory building lot coverage shall not exceed seven (7) percent and no one accessory building shall have an area greater than twelve hundred (1,200) square feet. Staff recommends this amendment to allow for a more proportional accessory building footprint to lot area in this zoning district.

Article IV, Section 4.2.E.13\Article III, Section 3.2.F.4 (new sections for addition to the ordinance) On non-conforming lots smaller than fifty-six hundred (5,600) square feet in the Residential – 1 District the total footprint area of all accessory building lot coverage shall not exceed ten (10) percent. Staff recommends this amendment to allow for a more proportional accessory building footprint to lot area in this zoning district.

With AirBnB rentals soaring, the ability to now build an additional rental unit in your back yard has the potential to push rentals, and the town infrastructure to the brink.

The big winner is AirBnB, which already boasts pages of Cape Charles properties. If you thought the summers are already overcrowded and unbearable, it’s only going to get worse.

Is having another Public beach destination something tourists and local citizens want?

In conversations with District One Supervisor Granville Hogg, he posed the question, “Would the Tourism Commission, Northampton County Board of Supervisors, Lodging Facilities, Restaurant Facilities, Chamber of Commerce within Northampton County be willing to support the acquisition of Bay Front property for another Public Beach?”

Northampton County increased their Transiency Occupancy Tax (TOT) from two percent to five percent in 2007. According to state code, an additional three percent of that revenue must be invested in tourism. 40% of the TOT goes to the general fund, 45 % goes to the commission and 15% funds the tourism grant program. Currently, this totals $80,000.

Since there is the requirement to spend the additional Transient Occupancy Tax on initiatives that will increase Tourism, is providing an additional beach area the asset that will bring the greatest return to Northampton County (approx $45,000/year paid by visitors/tourists)?

“When in the Tourism business, there is requirement to provide a destination where tourists can spend money. Is having a beach a destination something tourists and local citizens want?” – Granville Hogg.

According to Hogg, if Northampton is going to be in the tourism business, it needs to find ways to nurture it, and generate more funds for the county. “We need to get input from those entities that generate the TOT. Representatives of lodging properties, Restaurants, and “Local” Chamber Members in order to verify and comply with Code,” Hogg said.

[Read more…]

Jail door on sale for $3500 on eBay.

After several years of discussion, the demolition of the 1914 jail house in Eastville is ready to happen.

At the October 10th Board of Supervisors meeting, Chris Thomas, county engineer, went over the bids received for demolition of the 1914 jail. However, it turns out that due to its historic nature, the materials that make up the jail may be very valuable.

The Northampton County Historical Society has presented a list of items they wanted to retain from the jail including the large system of Alcatraz style locking cell doors, bunk beds, book cases, and two security doors. A recent segment of the show Antiques Road Show featured similar cell doors, which were valued at close to $10,000.

The bids received thus far appear to be low, leading some to believe that the contractors were hoping to sell off the spoils of the salvage effort on the open market.

Two bids have been received, one from CM Munden, LLC for $44, 265.00, and $36, 172 by Macsons, Inc.

Munden stated it would remove the list of historical items for $7,600. Macson will charge $12,000 for the removal.

The Town of Eastville has agreed to pay anything over $30,000 for the demolition, due to its failure to meet its contractual commitment with the county to rehabilitate the jail.

During discussion, Chairman Murray remarked that the bids were much lower than expected and thought that there must be value in something in that jail, maybe even “in the bricks”. Bricks from historic structures have been known to sell for over $10 each.

The consensus of the board was made to meet with the Town of Eastville representatives before approving any of the bids.

Richmond, VA – Oyster growers in Virginia’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay can now apply for $260,000 in funding through USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to help restore oyster beds on private shellfish grounds.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is expanding its six-year aquaculture collaboration with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS) to support Bay water quality improvements and create habitat for oysters, fish, and other wildlife. The new partnership project will provide $776,284 in dedicated RCPP funding and resources to restore about 40 acres of privately leased oyster beds.

“VMRC has helped restore thousands of acres of public oyster beds by planting new shells and implementing harvest and maintenance strategies to minimize disease impacts,” says Andrew Button, Department Head Conservation and Replenishment, VMRC. “This project is designed to transfer that knowledge to farmers with private leases and achieve long-lasting benefits that extend well beyond the life of the lease.” [Read more…]

At the October 10th Board of Supervisors Meeting, the board agreed that Sheriff Doughty may proceed with the purchase of two new patrol cars. Earlier this summer, the board agreed to release
the funds at the beginning of 2018. After discussion, consensus was that it would be more helpful to the mission of the sheriff’s office to release the funds sooner rather than later.

Sheriff Doughty told the board that the purchase of the newer vehicles will allow them to retire some of the older vehicles.

The Board also discussed the process of Cheriton creating its own police department. The town currently leverages the county Sheriff department for public safety.

Sheriff Doughty said the county and his office is working with Cheriton on the transition to its local police force.

A few months ago, at the Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting, District One Supervisor Granville Hogg attempted to introduce the requirement of knowing who the County is dealing with relative to employment, awards and issuing special use permits. According to Supervisor Hogg, the “Code is Clear, counties can require this. If you want to know the Man behind the curtain, it can be required that individuals doing business with the county must identify themselves.”

Hogg contends that the board has for too long protected entities that are somehow buried in the legal wrapping of an LLC. The consensus of the board, including Chairman Murray is that as long as you are a corporation, you are considered a separate entity. No matter that an individual may be the largest delinquent tax payer in the county, as president or CEO of the Corporation and benefactor of the corporation, you may still be eligible to be awarded all the County work you can bid upon. Individuals on the other hand will likely be disqualified if they owe county taxes. [Read more…]