Town leaders tell property owner to seek Board of Zoning Appeals after complaints about outdoor storage

Town staff and a property owner discussed the use of an irregularly zoned lot for temporary outside storage of containers, and staff advised the owner to seek a ruling from the town's Board of Zoning Appeals because the site is nonconforming and the proposed use may require special approval.

The matter arose during a brief council meeting when a town staff member identified as Charlie said the property is nonconforming and "anything really that's gonna be done on it needs to go to the" appropriate review body. Charlie added that the specific outside-storage use would have to go to the Board of Zoning Appeals because it involves outside storage and could exceed what is allowed under the lot's status.

Charlie, a town staff member, said: "So, what I told him to do is to come in and talk to you because what he wants to do is not something permanent, but he wanted to have something that he could put his containers on, temporarily." The staff member recommended that the owner seek the appeals board rather than pursue variances immediately.

The property owner, who identified himself in the meeting as the owner of Waste Removal Solutions, disputed that he was in violation and said town documents do not explicitly prohibit the activity he described. "We're not doing anything wrong," he said. He added that his business has donated dumpsters for local events and asked for "a little leeway." The owner acknowledged complaints from neighbors about the site's appearance but said he planned to remove containers as they were rented and that he would leave the site if required.

Council discussion and comments during the meeting focused on two points: (1) the site's nonconforming zoning status and (2) community complaints about the appearance of outside storage. Charlie noted there have been complaints that the site "looks like hell," and council members said the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) is the appropriate forum for resolving whether the activity is permitted or requires a variance.

There was no formal vote on the substance of the zoning question during the meeting; the only recorded formal action was a motion to adjourn. The staff direction recorded in the discussion was to advise the property owner to apply to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a determination or any necessary relief.

The owner referred to conversations with nearby property owners and potential future uses for the lot; he also said a recycling-facility classification would require state approval. Timelines for any application to the BZA or for removal of containers were not specified during the meeting.

Next steps indicated in the meeting record: the town advised the property owner to pursue BZA review; no town enforcement action (citation) was issued at that time in the meeting record.