
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, July 6, 1990                   TAG: 9007070406
SECTION: SMITH MOUNTAIN TIMES                    PAGE: SMT25   EDITION: BEDFORD/FRANKLIN  
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

AMENDMENT TO ALLOW FLEXIBILITY IN ZONING

A zoning amendment approved by the Franklin County Board of Supervisors will allow flexibility to length restrictions for piers and boat houses on Smith Mountain Lake.

Current zoning restrictions stipulate that piers and docks may not extend further than one third the width of a cove or channel.

According to County Planner Jim Lovell, there are many places on the lake where the one-third rule cannot be met. Residents who own waterfront property and cannot build a pier or boathouse that meets the one-third rule may apply for a variance, according to the amendment, which was approved Monday.

With the approval of all persons who may be affected by the exception to the rule, permission to build may be granted by the county zoning administrator. Although the one-third rule can now be waived, docks and piers can extend no further than 80 feet into the lake or exceed 16 feet in height.

The ordinance change also prohibits piers and boathouse from having septic hookups. The exception to the 80-foot limitation will be given to facilities such as common piers built by a group of property owners.

by CNB