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Planning panel recommends special exception to permit house near Holmes Creek
Summary
The commission recommended approval of a special exception to allow a new single-family home on 31.4 acres in a conservation future land-use designation; the final decision is set for April 17 by the Board of County Commissioners.
The Washington County Planning and Zoning Commission on April 7 recommended approval of a special exception to allow a new single-family home to be sited on 31.4 acres designated as conservation near Vernon.
Staff said the property owner, identified in the record as Mr. Michalak, seeks the special exception because the parcel is shown as conservation on the county’s future land use map and the proposed house location is closer to Holmes Creek than would be allowed under the underlying designation without an exception. Staff recommended approval after a neighborhood information meeting and after the applicant adjusted the site plan to avoid wetlands and remain outside the regulated flood plain.
Dawn McDonald, planning staff, presented maps showing the property’s conservation designation and an enlarged site plan the applicant submitted locating the proposed home at least 100 feet from the ordinary high water mark of Holmes Creek, a protected waterway. McDonald said she reviewed the federal National Wetlands Inventory maps and the site plan appears to avoid wetlands, which would reduce the need for state permitting; she also said the site is out of the flood plain. McDonald said notice and a neighborhood informational meeting were completed and that no attendees opposed the request.
The property owner, who identified himself in the meeting as Mr. Michalak, told the commission the existing dwelling is a small pole-barn residence and that he wants a larger home with a creek view. He said the earlier dwelling was permitted and had a certificate of occupancy when built; he asked staff to include that documentation in the project file.
Commissioners asked no substantive follow-up questions on environmental permitting. Chair Lynn Honeywell moved to approve staff’s recommendation; a roll-call vote recorded the commission’s support. The Planning and Zoning Commission’s recommendation will go to the Board of County Commissioners, which is scheduled to make the final decision on April 17.
