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Board allows Gary Smith a major home-occupation with limits but denies oversized sign
Summary
After neighbor opposition over noise, parking and a 3x5 sign, the Board approved Gary Smith's request to run a charter business as a major home occupation with a condition limiting operations to two charters per day; a separate motion to allow a large 3x5 sign failed and the board directed the sign be removed.
The Board of Zoning Appeals on April 22 approved a request from Gary Smith to operate a charter‑fishing business as a major home occupation with specific operating conditions, but it rejected his request for an oversized freestanding sign.
Gary Smith told the board he has run charter operations from his dock for 18 years and expects roughly 45 charters this season. “I have a charter business,” Smith said, describing his parking, dock space and seasonal schedule. He asked the board to clarify how his use fits the home-occupation rules and to allow signage and reasonable operations from his property.
Several neighbors, including adjoining neighbor Lori Bridal, opposed the home-occupation signage and questioned whether a charter business fits the residential rules. Bridal said the requested sign (3-by-5 feet) far exceeds the code's one-square-foot (144-square-inch) nameplate allowed for minor home occupations and said noise from early-morning charters and additional vehicle activity affect neighbors' sleep and property values.
Board members concluded the use has noticeable neighborhood impacts (parking, traffic, noise) and therefore treated it as a major home occupation but crafted conditions. A motion to permit the major home-occupation passed with a limitation that the business operate no more than two charters per day; the transcript shows one member abstained and the motion carried. A separate motion to allow a 3x5-foot sign failed; the board directed the applicant to remove the oversized sign and suggested small, attached nameplates or a much smaller yard sign as alternatives.
The board instructed Smith to work with neighbors on sign placement and said staff would enforce the sign-code dimensions when issuing any home-occupation permit.
