From the Outside Looking In.....

Please, This guy actually wants everyone to yield to him so he can have it his way and only his way.

"lack of a common vision"--That's code for "we don't have zoning"

Thank goodness we don't. We haven't had zoning in the past and if we had zoning good folks like the ones in the above letter wouldn't have found it so inspiring. Wonder how Pocahontas County stayed that way so long without zoning?

Why would you want to "fix" it with government regulation?

Linda,

What's broken? People are coming from zoned areas all over the United States and buying Pocahontas Property which is not zoned. Isn't the system working? They actually prefer communities without government regulation. They would rather retire to a community without regulation. Your case is unusual. There are amenities in your situation. But we are talking about people who want to live and retire in Pocahontas County. We have never had zoning (with the exception of floodplain zoing) and as a result people are flocking to Pocahontas County. The are voting AGAINST ZONING with their feet and their hearts.

I bought property in Pocahontas County and never looked to see if zoning exists. I bought in a planned community with covenants and restrictions and I am glad we have them. C&R's protect my investment and ensure tranquility and appropriate uses. They also allow us to plan ahead with capital improvements (road maintenance, utilities, etc) and capital accumulation. I will take that over a lack of structure anytime.

I live in the fastest growing county in WV. We don't have zoning because a lot of folks don't want government "interference" with their property rights. So what we have here are an abundance of strip clubs, billboards, and non-conforming uses of property. It is commonplace to see a business established in a residential area. We have a business selling sex toys and clothing within 1000 feet of a school. The developers are mainly out of state folks who take advantage of the lack of local control, build crap, and then leave with the money, leaving us with the problems.

I bought in Pocahontas County because of the county that you are: rural, undeveloped, and scenic. Some may accuse me of trying to close the door behind me but that is not it at all. I hope that more folks will invest, buy property and build homes here. That way my investment maintains value. The existence of national forest will always ensure we have green space. What I want most is for those folks inclined to come here to be greeted with a plan and vision as to what Pocahontas County will become. A plan, vision, goals and forethought will support growth and investment. Unpredictability and uncertainty as to the direction of development and infrastructure will actually impede growth. Who will want to come here if you don't know what's around the bend except for the out of state developers who have ruined my own county, only to leave us holding the bag?

to all the people talking about buying land in poca.co .if zoning was in place would you have been able to buy the property you own now.if you limit the houses then you limit the number of people .developers don't build houses that they can't sell.as far as i am concerned,too many outsiders are moving in and trying to tell us what we need to do.if you like zoning then move to somewhere they have zoning,if not then when in rome do as the romans do

Norman, I thought you said PC didn't have zoning???
Then how could Cheat Mtn. have been zoned Open space? If memory serves me right, that property belonged to Mower (sp?) Lumber co.

Norman, to say zoning would have stopped Snowshoe is quite a reach. With zoning comes a board of zoning appeals and if any non-conforming use is pursued the appeals board hears from both sides and decides first whether the zoning affects the proposed use and second, whether a variance is in order. I doubt whether any zoning appeals board would stop such a venture if the then existing zoning would have prohibited a ski resort.

Been here, I hear your argument all the time about "newcomers" who want to "change" things. I think it is wise to keep an open mind about the ideas and experiences of "newcomers". I have lived in zoned and unzoned counties and in my opinion there is no comparison. The second fastest growing county in the state of WV has zoning and has had it for years. They build homes at breakneck speed and they just added a new high school to handle the growth. They have employers who employ 1000+ people and their growth is directed for maximum efficiency with county services and local government. They maintain green space and make sure that adequate resources (water) are available. The "newcomers" you should fear are out of state companies who come and leave quickly, leaving behind a mess for you to clean up and pay for. Zoning does not stop development. It just ensures we have adequate safeguards in place that will save the taxpayers and permanent residents money down the road.

Been here, call it the "human element". If incompetency and illegalities were the benchmarks, we would do away with just about everything. You want to see screwed up, come up to Berkeley County where we have a fine tradition of no zoning. Traffic accidents and deaths way up in numbers because our roads are not designed for the traffic we now have. Failed wells way up because we build where water is scarce. Private sewage systems failing because contractors were allowed to build as they saw fit. Guess who picks up the price tag for these and other problems caused by a lack of planning? You and I.

I am not advocating stopping development. In fact, I own my own business and depend on more people moving in. I just want those people moving to places where the roads can handle them, where water is plentiful and where sewage can be handled safely. I trust my local officials I voted in to do the job right. If they don't, I vote to get rid of them. But I don't throw the baby out with the bath water!!

Norman, so does police protection and criminal laws. So is local government on many levels. (And you have pointed that out numerous times on here) Do you advocate that we do away with the police also or is it better to get the right people for the job?

Zoning with common sense is not a bad thing, however I have never seen a zoning commission that had common sense or was in touch with reality. Brace ypurself Norman, Zoning is coming and not in a good way.

Norman, I still think that a vision is needed to prevent helter-skelter development all over the place. YOu need to decide in what areas you want industrial parks, manufacturing, homes, medical, & yes ski resorts. You never did answer my question of how you would like it if some developer would buy your adjoining property & put in a strip club? Might be a goodl place for such a thing, way out there in the countrty away from school & kids. How would you like that???
Well it can happen if you don't have planning.

I personally believe the county would benefit from a five person county commission. I think it would afford better representation for such a large geographic area. How many people would you propose serve on a county-wide planning commission?

the best common course is for people to decide what is best for them.i know of some people who had to sell off part of their property to help take care of their mother or help pay for college or bills.i know a lot of people that gave part of their property to their children and granchildren to live on.would this type of subdivision be allowed under your plans.what people like and don't like or the value of their property has nothing to do with what is right or wrong.

Again, I see no harm in people talking and trying to reach common ground. This bug-boo chatter about "zoning" really gets the conversation stalled every time. The idea that somehow we are islands isolated and disconnected from others in our activities doesn't wash with reality. We are in a community, in fact in many communities at once: our work place, our church, our schools, our neighbors, our neighborhoods, our circle of friends etc. In these groups and areas our actions are not disconnected at all. Likewise, our use of our property effects and concerns our neighbors.

Freeholder, that's a great idea, but where would the money come from for the reward?

A possible source for the reward money would be from the BOE or the Public Relations Dept. or publicity and advertising fund.or maybe a private or business donor. Snowshoe?
Thanks for taking time to read and answer my post. Freeholder

Martin, I will donate $500 to the PCHS right now, on behalf of the NRAO, as a project award for this "Planning the Future of Pocahontas County" mapping idea. Just as a farmer 'plans' the future crops for his fields and businesses 'plan' for the necessary future outlay of their cash reserves, Pocahontas County absolutely must 'plan' for it's future by engaging in discussion and foresight. There is excellence in the method of having the youth participate in this discussion in a meaningful way, and should provide opportunity for real and hands-on learning about the County and the processes that go into running its 'business'. Let me know if this will become a reality and I will get the money to them.

michael is this your money or nrao money.

I talked with Nancy Martin and she agreed to introduce this idea to her class and invited me to share this important concept with them. I am very pleased to "talk future" with those who are "our future". And as I think about this idea, more than a contribution graciously offered by from someone like Mr. Holstine, I would want him instead to perhaps share personally his perspective to students as well. As an aside, I went to Sheriff's day at PCHS for a mock murder trial last Saturday and I think this kind of street level involvement of reality and young people is very rewarding. Sheriff Jonese has a very good grasp on the importance of community involvement and education as a component of law enforcement. He is doing outstanding work in this regard.