These articles began being published weekly, over eight years ago, in an effort to try and let the community better understand the ins and outs of zoning, land use regulations and the various state and fire safety codes.
There is no doubt there are plenty of them.
Being in the business of code enforcement for a long, long time, it always has been a challenge to find a way to help people be aware of what the rules are.
The Weekly Adirondack paper was the perfect place to try. With the support of the paper, their staff, and the encouragement of various local officials, these articles were begun.
There are so many rules, requirements, standards and procedures that there was no concern of ever running out of topics.
Now almost 430 weeks later, there still is no picture of the writer, always written in the third person (no I, me, my) because it was always intended to be about whatever the topic was, nothing more.
That continues to be the mission; to describe a code standard or a particular procedure in sufficient detail, so everyone may better understand.
Sometimes it’s specific about Town of Webb local laws and zoning and the challenges of enforcement; sometimes it’s about NYS building codes that apply all around the state.
There are different ways to explain a topic…
Straight forward text can be pretty boring to read. Humor can help make it fun to read.
Examples often help make the issue more understandable.
Although this article has never specifically named anyone or identified a particular location, there is no doubt that describing an example can be rather obvious as to where the issue is.
In the last year, several different articles using examples of potential violations regarding local Town zoning issues created some kick-back from the property owners.
Looking at the articles with ‘hind-sight’ it’s understandable.
Again, this article was never intended to throw anyone under the bus; it was to provide an example of how the local law is applied.
Rest assured the code office does not have to shake the bushes to find enforcement challenges; those things seem to find the code office all by themselves.
In an attempt to offer an apology to those who think they were unjustly picked on, this is for you…
There was never an issue with you personally. Eight years and 430 articles, about a sundry of codes, rules, regulations and procedures, it’s bound to raise an eyebrow or two. It’s about the code, how it works and why.
Still, believing this article provides a level of education, a little knowledge of a particular standard and how best to deal with all the agency rules and procedures, it will continue.
However, a better awareness of how to accomplish this shall be employed in the writing.
At the same time, a better awareness may have been created regarding the appropriateness of certain codes.
Should a zoning ordinance been reviewed? You bet it should… and regularly.
Things change, people change, needs change, technologies change, business climates change, so should local regulations change.
If a crowd of one-hundred people in town were to gather and everyone was asked their opinion about local zoning regulations, what kinds of answers would you get?
There would be a very broad spectrum for sure.
But the mission statement for having local zoning would not change. The following was printed not long ago, straight from the beginning of the Town’s zoning ordinance…
“The purpose of this Ordinance is to promote the health, safety, morals and general welfare of the community and thus to lessen congestion in the streets;
“To secure safety from fire, flood, panic and other dangers;
“To provide adequate light and air;
“To prevent the overcrowding of land; To avoid undue concentration of population;
“To facilitate the adequate provision of transportation, water, sewerage, schools, parks and other public services;
“To protect and preserve aesthetic values and natural resources;
“And to encourage the most appropriate use of land and to channel and direct growth throughout the Town.”
We do have a great and diverse little community.
Getting involved, understanding the intent and why there are rules, and knowing how those rules impact people, and then if the rules should change… then making that happen, will only make for an even better little community for everyone.