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Onancock council debates adding 'may' for traffic impact studies in special-use permit rules
Summary
Councilors discussed inserting 'may require' language into the town's special-use permit packet so the town retains discretion to require a traffic-impact study for some applicants but not to burden small home-based uses. Members proposed draft placement and agreed language should allow case-by-case discretion.
Councilors reviewed the town's draft special-use permit (SUP) language and debated whether to require a traffic impact study for applicants. Several council members worried that a mandatory impact study would be disproportionate for small, home-based businesses (for example a single hairdresser), and proposed softer language to preserve discretion.
One councilor suggested adding wording such as 'may require an impact study' to the penultimate line of the relevant paragraph. Another councilor responded that making the study discretionary would allow the town to exercise common sense on a case-by-case basis: "That would work," one member said in support. The council discussed placement and whether the word should appear next to the final paragraph governing SUP criteria.
After reviewing examples and prior denials, the council signaled agreement to keep a discretionary approach and left the final exact phrasing to be inserted into the next draft packet for further review and a subsequent meeting.
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