Good evening, everybody.

Welcome to the October 27th, 2020 meeting of the City of Frederick Zoning Board of Appeals.

Before we get started on tonight's business, and especially given our unusual circumstances that we're all working through, I'd like to give everybody some brief background information about the ZBA and our procedures tonight, make sure that no one's got any questions before we get started with tonight's business.

So just as some background, it's the responsibility of the zoning board of appeals to authorize on appeal in specific cases of variance from the terms of the city's zoning regulations to hear and decide special exceptions to the terms of the zoning regulations, and to hear and decide appeals of aggrieved parties where it's alleged that there's been an error in an order, requirement, decision, or determination made by an administrative officer in the enforcement of the land use article of the annotative code of Maryland or any law adopted under that Maryland state law, which includes the City of Frederick's land management code.

We conduct all these responsibilities in accordance with the city's land management code and all applicable Maryland state law.

Members of the board are all volunteers and we are all residents of the city.

The members of the board are appointed by the mayor, and those appointments are confirmed by the board of aldermen.

Board is also supported in our activities by members of the city staff.

For everyone's benefit, I'd like to introduce those individuals who are supporting us remotely this evening.

We have Gabrielle Collard from the planning department with us.

For tonight's procedures.

So tonight's meeting will be conducted virtually due to the ongoing health emergency.

And in accordance with the governor's executive orders, members of the ZBA, city staff, and applicants will all be attending the meeting remotely.

The complete proceedings of the meeting will be televised on Channel 99 and will also be available on the city's website.

Public comment will be accepted on each agenda item.

Those wishing to make public comment will be asked to call area code 301-6001213 during the staff presentation of the agenda item they would like to make comment on.

If you didn't catch that number, don't worry, we're going to throw it up on the screen.

Each person wishing to make public comment will be asked to state their name and their general address, and then they will be sworn in by myself before writing any testimony to the board.

For applicants on tonight's agenda, please join the meeting during the item immediately before your item.

So if you're watching on Channel 99 or on the web, please make sure you join the meeting before your agenda item is called.

At that time, I will read the oath, and each member of the team should respond by stating their name and signifying I do thereafter.

And then as we continue with the presentation, if anybody on the team isn't speaking at any uh particular time, if they could just mute their microphones, that would be helpful and help us minimize any feedback.

After an applicant's uh item has been voted on, um, we ask that you go ahead and leave the meeting once again, just so that we can manage bandwidth and echo and all those good technical things as easily as possible.

So, under these unusual conditions, board members, staff, and myself, we are all going to do the very best we can under these circumstances.

Um we are also gonna most assuredly make some mistakes, even though after a couple months uh we're getting it down uh pretty well.

Um, there still might be some hiccups.

If that happens, we really appreciate everyone's patience and bearing with us if we happen to need to work through any difficulties that happen to arise.

So for the process tonight, the general order of business will be as follows.

First, I will call and interview the case on the agenda.

Um I will conduct a roll call of both of board members who will each respond with their full name and present um so that we have their presence um annotated for the record.

Second, I will ask for the presentation of the staff report, which will include uh any staff recommendations uh following their analysis in their report.

Um staff members presented will introduce themselves.

Staff members will be sworn in by the chair.

Staff members will enter their staff report into the record.

Um, once again, anybody wishing to give public comment on the the case that um is uh currently being discussed, we'll then call 301601213.

Um third, after the staff report, CBA members might ask questions of staff.

I will once again conduct a roll call of each CBA member to see if they have any questions of the staff.

Each member will respond by stating their name, and if they don't have any questions, uh they will state uh no questions uh at that time.

Fourth, I will ask for the presentation by the applicant.

The applicant will be asked to state their name and the name of anybody else on their team who is presenting for the record.

I will swear the applicant and the team members in uh the applicant and the team members should all respond by stating their name and I do in response to the oath.

Um, and then we'll ask the applicant to present their case to the ZBA.

Once again, just like the staff report following the applicant's presentation, the ZBA board members will have an opportunity to ask questions.

I will conduct a roll call of each one.

They can ask uh any questions uh they might happen to have, or if they don't have any questions, they can simply answer that they don't have any questions at this time.

Six, uh the board will then take any public comment.

Um, once again, anybody who wishes to make public comment at this time uh should have called area code 301 600 1213.

Um that way, if we have multiple people, um, we'll have them queued up and ready to give testimony at this point.

Um again, uh I will ask them to give their full names and their addresses for the record, and I will also swear them in prior to them giving uh any questions or testimony.

Um following all of that, I will then go back to the applicant and we will see if the applicant has any closing remarks, anything they'd like to expand on or clarify at that time.

I will once again ask our board members if they have any closing questions, either for the applicant or the staff.

I will do that by polling the board board members and they'll respond uh um by stating their name uh and asking any questions they might have or saying no questions if they don't happen to at that time.

Uh finally and lastly, I will call for a motion on the case.

Um, I will call for a roll member of each member uh to see if they have any questions regarding uh any motion that's on the floor.

Then following any discussion, I will conduct a roll call of each ZBA member in turn uh so that we can record how they vote.

Is anybody have any questions regarding that completely lengthy and probably confusing introduction to the process tonight?

Um if not, and one comes up later, of course.

Um please ask, and as I said, we'll work through things uh as best we can.

Uh and uh um staff and and myself and the board members are all committed to trying to facilitate this uh as best possible.

So if anyone is following with their agendas or following along at home, uh that is item number one on our agenda.