Council declines to take up Weston’s Restaurant use-permit violation at Dec. 6 meeting

Clifton, Va. — The Clifton Planning Commission told the Town Council it had identified a potential violation at Weston’s Restaurant, asserting that newly installed gambling machines were not authorized under the restaurant’s May 3, 2011 use permit. The council debated several procedural options on Dec. 6 but did not take enforcement action.

Planning Commission Chair Kathy Kalinowski told the council the commission had determined the gambling machines were a potential violation because “it was not included as an authorized use.” Councilors discussed whether to add the matter to the current meeting agenda, to delay substantive action until the business owner could be present, or to notify the owner and place the item on the January 2012 agenda.

Several motions were moved and opposed; motions to address the issue at the present meeting or to take other immediate action failed because the council did not reach the required unanimity for the procedural motions. Councilor Chuck Rusnak opposed early placement on the agenda in one motion; other members also recorded opposition to various procedural proposals. There is no owner response recorded in the meeting transcript.

Why it matters: The dispute raises questions about the scope of existing use permits and how the town enforces permit conditions. The Planning Commission asked the council to take up the matter; the council instead left it unresolved at this meeting.

What’s next: The Planning Commission or council members may notify the business owner and reintroduce the item at a future meeting. The transcript records proposed motions to notify the owner and place it on the January 2012 agenda, but no binding action was approved on Dec. 6.