Zoning

The Washington County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 Tuesday to approve an amendment to the county zoning ordinance that will allow commercial solar energy-generating systems as a special exception in some county districts. The amendment applies to grid-tied solar energy-generating systems whose primary purpose is sale to the public utility grid. Solar energy systems for primarily on-site energy use are already included in the ordinance. The new amendment allows the larger, grid-tied systems as a special exception in the Agriculture (Rural)

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - A local developer wants to change Antrim Township zoning ordinances to accommodate a diverse mix of industrial and commercial property along Interstate 81. Paul Perini of Hagerstown based Perini Properties asked the Antrim Township Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to consider changing the zoning of a parcel of property near Exit 3 in Pennsylvania to a zoning concept he called Highway Commercial 3 (HC3). Perini said the idea of HC3 is similar to a Washington County zoning form known as Highway Industrial 1 and would allow for a mix of "professional light industrial and highway commercial" property.

Bank zoning variance approved The Washington County Board of Zoning Appeals Wednesday approved one of two variances for property at 18233 Maugans Ave., which is adjacent to a planned First National Bank of Greencastle branch, Chairman Robert Veil said Thursday. A request for a variance to reduce the buffer between the lot line and a nearby dwelling from 25 feet to 8.5 feet was denied, Veil said. William Wantz, a Hagerstown attorney representing a neighbor, spoke against the variance, Veil said.

HAGERSTOWN - Washington County planners have identified discrepancies between city and county planning maps in the types of development that would be allowed on almost two dozen properties near the Hagerstown city line. Two weeks ago, county planners noticed 42 properties on city planning maps that were zoned differently by the city than they were by the county. All of the properties are on county land but are in the city's growth area. The city applies zoning categories to property outside its boundaries that it might annex in the future.

Last week when the Washington County Commissioners were discussing zoning changes on U.S. 40 on the east side of Clear Spring, Commissioner John Shank objected to the proposal to place more restrictive zoning on developer Vincent Groh's land there. "To me this is just another classic example of the government telling a private property owner what they can do. I don't want the government to tell me what to do. That's why I live in America. " If that speech sounds familiar to long-time readers and county residents, it's because similar arguments were used more than 20 years ago when zoning was first proposed here.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com Daniel Sheffler was on the phone in his office in the Borough Hall one day last week telling a local landlord that he had to either evict a tenant or pay the tenant's delinquent water bill. It's all part of the job for Sheffler, zoning and code enforcement officer for the Borough of Waynesboro. Sheffler, 40, was hired in October to succeed Douglas Pyle who resigned. He came to the borough from a 10-year job as a construction superintendent for a regional home-building company.

Commentary If there was ever a topic to make a journalist go face down on his keyboard, it's zoning. More aptly spelled "zzzzzoning. " Well, zoning's probably a close second to sewage-treatment flow capacities, but not by much. Those who have sensed an increased surliness on my part over the Washington County Commissioners' perpetual zoning stalemate these past several years are correct because it's the issue that won't go away. Of all the issues to stick around forever, it had to be zoning, didn't it?

andrews@herald-mail.com You likely won't find the phrase "homeless shelter" in Tri-State municipal zoning codes, which in some cases were written decades ago. Without a precise definition, planners have used their judgment. Hagerstown The Religious Effort to Assist and Care for the Homeless, or REACH, cold weather shelter is seen as an "accessory use" to a church, Zoning Administrator Stephen R. Bockmiller said in June. The shelter rotates two weeks at a time among local churches and the synagogue in Hagerstown, but REACH officials expect to permanently move into the former Cannon Shoe Factory on West Franklin Street.

Hagerstown officials will hold a public hearing Tuesday at 7 p.m. at City Hall to discuss the zoning of the Doub Farm property near the interchange of Interstate 70 and U.S. 40. During recent meetings, Phillip Ross of Petrie Ross Ventures, a mid-Atlantic developing firm, has expressed interest in having the property rezoned so he could build a $242 million shopping center and business offices there. Ross said his proposal would encompass about 120 acres and create about 9,000 jobs.

HAGERSTOWN -- Hagerstown voters will head to the polls on May 19 to choose a mayor. Republican incumbent Robert E. Bruchey II will face Democrat David S. Gysberts and write-in candidate Jonathan R. Burrs. Bruchey defeated Burrs and Ann Holtzman in the Republican primary on March 10. Bruchey was mayor from 1997 to 2001, but lost a re-election bid to William M. Breichner. He ran again in 2005, but was defeated by former Mayor Richard F. Trump. The City Council appointed Bruchey mayor in 2006 after Trump resigned from office less than a year into his term.

ST. JAMES - The Saint James boys lacrosse team faced something it hadn't seen yet this season - a zone defense played by Mid-Atlantic Conference foe St. Andrews - and beat it with unselfish teamwork. Nine players scored at least one goal as the Saints spread the ball and found enough holes in St. Andrews' defense to earn an 11-7 victory on a chilly Tuesday evening. Connor Abeles had two goals and an assist, Austin Fahey also had two goals and Kyle Neale and Jacob Thompson had a goal and two assists each to lead Saint James (4-2, 1-0)

Speed cameras that were installed to monitor school zones in Hagerstown have generated nearly $1 million in revenue over eight months. City spokeswoman Erin Wolfe said speeding tickets issued as a result of the cameras amounted to about $979,606 in total earnings from April 2012, when the first cameras were installed, to November 2012. Of the amount raised from the 11 cameras that monitor 10 school zones in Hagerstown, the city through November received about $587,764, or roughly 60 percent of the money taken in from the tickets, Wolfe said.

A committee is forming to develop the framework necessary for Waynesboro-area government entities to adopt a tax abatement program designed to spur economic growth. Representatives of the Borough of Waynesboro, Washington Township and the Waynesboro Area School District will be a part of the committee that will work on a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Abatement, or LERTA, program. If a LERTA program is put in place locally, eligible industrial or commercial property owners could receive tax savings for a period of time after making improvements to their properties.

With work on the Interstate 70 cual bridges over the Conococheague Creek continuing, motorists can expect possible single-lane closures at certain times throughout the winter months. “Folks will start to see some off-peak closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,” Maryland State Highway Administration spokesperson Dave Buck said. “The impact to traffic over the winter will be minimal.” The first SafeZones Automated Speed Enforcement system in Washington County has already gone into effect at that location, according to the SHA. Currently the system is in a warning period, but after the period ends on Wednesday, Nov. 28, motorists going 12 mph or more over the speed limit will face a $40 civil citation.

A decision by the Williamsport Town Council on whether to amend or change the zoning for an oil recycler using an old county sewage treatment plant was delayed Monday night. Edward Kuczynski, Williamsport's town attorney, said Spirit Services' attorney, Jason Divelbiss, requested the town delay a decision on the zoning change while issues are researched. One of the issues to be explored is the cost and feasibility of a secondary road to the site, Kuczynski said. Spirit Services is using the county's former Nicodemus sewer treatment plant, which is at the end of Lockwood Road, a narrow road with residences along it. Kuczynski recommended the council delay the zoning decision until at least its December meeting, though he said he expected Divelbiss might request another postponement because it will take time to research the issues.

The first SafeZones Automated Speed Enforcement system in a Washington County work zone has gone into effect along Interstate 70 at the Conococheague Creek as part of the bridge replacement project over the creek, between Exit 24 to Greencastle Pike and Exit 18 to Clear Spring. The cameras began operating on  Nov. 7, according to a release from the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA). The system is currently in a 21-day warning period, which will end Wednesday, Nov. 28, when violations will begin to result in citations.

On Monday night, the Williamsport Town Council is scheduled to address a zoning change request for an oil recycler using the county's old Nicodemus sewer treatment plant, an issue that has raised other questions regarding the property, Mayor James G. McCleaf II said Thursday. The county owns the old sewer plant property but has been leasing it to Spirit Services, McCleaf said. McCleaf said testimony during a Nov. 5 public hearing before the mayor and Town Council about the rezoning request included information that Spirit Services' proposed purchase of the plant is contingent upon a change in zoning for the property.

Smithsburg Town Council members have given final approval to setting up a speed camera system in an attempt to correct a reoccurring speeding problem around the town's three public schools on North Main Street. The move came during a Tuesday night town council meeting. At last month's town council meeting, Smithsburg Police Chief George Knight said speeding has been significant in the area of Smithsburg High School, Smithsburg Elementary School and Smithsburg Middle School. “Our efforts in this area have not worked like I would have liked them to,” Knight said during Tuesday's meeting.

The Washington Township (Pa.) Planning Commission on Monday recommended approval of land-development plans for a property being eyed for Auto Zone. Motorists accessing the 7,380-square-foot building would use Geiser Avenue off East Main Street. Ronnie Martin from Long-Mar LLC, the developer, said even with municipal approval of the plans, the retailer might not commit. He said the problem is the township impact fees on certain new development. “With the impact fees, this may not go,” Martin said.

Prompted by a recent complaint about a business on North Prospect Street, a City of Hagerstown planning official presented three suggested revisions to the city's proposed Land Management Code during a city council work session meeting Tuesday. City Planning Director Kathleen Maher shared the revisions with the five-member city council, which included two new definitions for industrial uses in the city's zoning code for a “junkyard” and a “warehouse.” A “junkyard,” which is not permitted in the city, includes processing on-site but not storage, while a “warehouse” would permit temporary storage but not on-site processing, she said.