Board of Zoning Appeals

Board of Zoning Appeals Regulations and Appointments

• Shall consist of 5 members.
• Shall be appointed by council.
• Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson shall serve 1 year until re-elected.
• Members shall serve overlapping terms of 3-5 years or thereafter until their successors are appointed.
• All meetings are open to the public and records are subject to FOIA.

Current Members

• Teara Barnwell- Chair
• Jennifer Crawford
• Josh Holiday
• Frank Guldner
• John Cox

Three main responsibilities:

• To review appeals of alleged administrative errors.
• To review requests for variances for relief from and unreasonable hardship.
• To review uses by special exceptions, as defined in local ordinances.
• Only the BZA may handle variances, special exceptions and Variances

Appeals:

• A person may file an appeal if they believe the zoning administrator’s decision is inconsistent with the provisions of the zoning ordinance.
• Appeals must be filed 30 days after the decision of the zoning administrator.
• The board may enforce, overturn, or modify the zoning administrators decision.
• The board can only consider whether the zoning administrator has read the ordinance correctly.

Variances:

• Must prove that the zoning ordinance presents a specific hardship for the land owners proposed use.

Special Exceptions:

• Built into zoning ordinance
• Must prove a need need

Conditional Uses:

• Must meet conditions noted in the ordinance to receive a permit.
• Granted by zoning administrator.

Scheduling

• Because the BZA is a quasi-judicial body, they must give 15 days’ public notice of an appeal hearing by publication in a general circulation newspaper.

Planning and BZA Flow Chart