By Mark Curry
On August 19, 2024 the Washington County commissioners will be hearing content from the P&Z and views from residents. The title on the public filing is County setbacks for buildings! However, it is so much more! It includes road easement setbacks that expand the county easements on property owners. The P&Z has not responded to any of my emails. However, my understanding is they want to take more road easement setback property from all county roads! Take the current from the center of the road to property pins and add 10 or 15 feet more easement directly into your property. The P&Z is apparently worried about the County expanding and not being able to easily expand the width of the roads. Another thought would be they could control how close you build to the road by expanding the easements. Are the County residents willing to have additional footage taken from them? I’m not! Taking property can come in two forms. The taking may be physical, which means that the county literally takes the property from its owner under eminent domain which includes compensation for the land, Or the taking may be constructive (also called a regulatory taking), which means that the county restricts the owner’s rights so much that the county action becomes the equivalent of a physical seizure. The P&Z wants the later. Make your voices heard! Contact the county commissioners and voice your opinion!
