Town of Beaux Arts Village

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Board of Adjustment
Last Update:  14 May 2010

The Board of Adjustment acts as the Town's Building Official and is its quasi-judicial body.  The Board consists of five Boardmembers, all of whom are residents of the Town, are appointed by the Mayor and are confirmed by the Town Council.  Boardmembers are volunteers who serve four-year terms and are eligible for re-appointment without term limits.

Current members of the Board of Adjustment are:

Position No. 1 Francine Johnson (term expires in 2010)
Position No. 2 Brian Kemp (term expires in 2010)
Position No. 3 Steve Matsudaira (term expires in 2012)
Position No. 4 vacant
Position No. 5 Peggie Bates (term expires in 2012)

If you are interested in serving on the Board of Adjustment, please contact the Mayor to express your interest.

MEETINGS
Regular Board of Adjustment meetings are held at 7:30pm on the first Wednesday of each month, as needed.  If there are no items on the Board's agenda, the regular meeting may be cancelled.  Because Beaux Arts has no Town Hall, Boardmembers take turns hosting the monthly meetings in their homes.  A meeting agenda  listing the topics to be discussed and the meeting location is posted on mailstands throughout the Village about one week in prior to the meeting.  Any Villager may offer their home as a meeting location.

Special Board meetings may be held from time to time as needed.  Notices and agendas for special meetings are posted on mailstands at least 24 hours before the meeting.  The location of each special meeting is listed on the agenda for that meeting.

The Chair presides over all Board of Adjustment meetings.  Because meetings are held in Boardmembers homes, they tend to be less formal than in larger cities; however, the business of the Board of Adjustment is treated seriously and the meetings run according to Roberts Rules of Order.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Board of Adjustment's role is to oversee building activity in the Town of Beaux Arts Village, hear and decide upon requests for variance, and to ensure that the principles of the Town's Comprehensive Plan are upheld.  Ordinance 264 sets forth the powers of the Board of Adjustment. 

The Board oversees building activity by reviewing a summary of the building permits issued in a given period.  In this role, the Board ensures that the stated purposes of the Town's Building and Zoning Codes are met, the most important being: 

·        To promote the health, safety, and  welfare of occupants of home in Beaux Arts.

·        To require minimum performance standards and requirements for construction and construction materials, consistent with accepted standards of engineering, fire, and life safety.

·        To implement the intent of approved building and zoning codes.

In addition, though not identified in the ordinance, it is the Board's intent to act as a vehicle to receive and respond to ideas and concerns of Villagers with regard to permit/construction activity in the Town.

In its quasi-judicial role, the Board reviews all requests for variance from the requirements of the Town's Zoning Code during a public hearing.  After hearing the testimony of the applicant, the Town's Staff Planner, and affected residents, the Board closes the public hearing, and decides whether to grant the variance, grant it with conditions, or deny it.  Decisions of the Board may be appealed to the Council.

Government in Beaux Arts is truly grass roots.  Villagers are encouraged to attend all meetings and speak on issues of concern to them.  Villagers who cannot attend a meeting may submit written comments for the Board's consideration by mailing them to the Town's mailing address (see General Information), emailing Deputy Clerk Angela Kulp at bldgdept@beauxarts-wa.gov or calling 425.269.6985 to make arrangements for transmitting their comments by other means.

APPROVED MINUTES
Copies of approved minutes from recent Board meetings can be viewed by choosing from the list below.  Please keep in mind that the minutes listed are only a summation of the proceedings of the meeting and are not a verbatim transcript.