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BZA grants RPA variance for utility shed in Melfa with mitigation and conditions
Summary
The board approved an RPA variance to allow a 14x18 utility shed in a Chesapeake Bay preservation buffer on Harbor Road in Melfa, subject to six conditions and mitigation requirements overseen by DEQ and county staff.
The Accomack County Board of Zoning Appeals approved variance 0001432025 Dec. 3 to allow an accessory utility shed within the Chesapeake Bay preservation area buffer on a 0.44‑acre lot in Melfa.
Staff described the lot as agricultural, partially in an RPA and within a FEMA special flood hazard area; the proposed shed (approximately 14 by 18 feet and about 17 feet high) would sit in the 100‑foot buffer and require floodplain compliance. Staff determined the application had not met strict variance standards but recommended six conditions if the board chose to approve, including required permits from the county building department, VDH and VDOT, certified flagging of property corners and the RPA line by a licensed surveyor, floodplain compliance and county inspections until issuance of a certificate of completion.
Board members asked whether the shed must be elevated like the house or built with flood‑resistant materials; staff responded that either elevation or flood‑resistant construction (flood vents, materials) is acceptable and that mitigation plantings in the buffer would likely be required. Staff and another official noted DEQ oversight of buffer mitigation and an informal rule of thumb of planting (e.g., per 400 square feet) based on prior practice.
After discussion the board moved to approve the variance with the six staff‑recommended conditions. The decision is subject to the county and state permitting and mitigation steps described by staff.
