I was passing through Valley last week and noticed there have been some changes in this little town. Where the old tavern building used to stand, there is a caboose on rails, a new bathroom, a picnic table shelter and a building part way in place. This will be a place where families can be together and the village can hold a fair or other gathering. This is being done by civic minded people without use of tax dollars. But there is a problem due to do the regulations imposed by the zoning required under the Growth Management Plan.

In 1993, the county became obligated to adopt these regulations. When it was finally done, a short stretch of the main street in Valley was designated Residential by a blue color, despite the fact that there are no homes on it and no homes could be built on it. No one realized the implications of this until it was too late. The regulations were enacted with this little stretch colored blue. Herein is the problem that has affected this community project.

Because it is labeled Residential, any new building must be set back 30 ft from the street, despite the fact that the old building was not setback and none of the other buildings on the street are set back. This requirement messes up the plans for the park. Apparently, the only way to fix this is for the folks to request a variance from the map, pay more fees, hope it would be approved, and halt the project while they wait for a decision.

Laws have a purpose; to make our lives better. The law should serve the people, but it seems like here we have a situation where the people essentially have to serve a law that serves no purpose. The folks in Valley have applied for the variance and hope they can have the park, but for now they must wait to see if the variance from regulations will be allowed.