Board refers contested driveway variance back to highway committee after resident objections

A county access variance that drew a public comment from a property owner was referred back to the Highway Committee after residents and county staff agreed they needed more time to resolve access and pole‑location conflicts.

During public comment, a resident said the proposed shared access would “be cutting into a pole,” and noted physical constraints: the county measured the pole at about 14 to 15 feet from the property line and the proposed driveway would be 22 to 24 feet wide. Highway Committee Chair Eric (identified in the record as the chair of the Highway Committee) told the resident that, because the board follows the county code limiting private entrances and parcel spacing, the issue requires committee-level coordination and, if both landowners disagree, the committee must re-evaluate the variance.

Chair Eric recommended tabling the variance when it reached the agenda and referring it back to the Highway Committee for amendment and negotiation. The board approved a motion to refer the variance back to the Highway Committee; county staff and the property owners agreed to meet and attempt a negotiated solution before the committee’s next meeting.

The referral preserves the county’s standard process: parcels that cannot meet one‑access‑per‑parcel spacing requirements are typically handled by the Highway Committee, which may recommend shared access or other accommodations. County staff noted one neighboring parcel had a temporary access permit issued in 2019, complicating the current request and prompting the need to reconcile prior temporary permits with the formal variance process.

Board members recorded the referral vote; staff said Highway Committee meets next Thursday to consider the matter and that county staff would arrange an on‑site meeting with the parties before that meeting.