Resident urges county to retain Board of Adjustment as Unified Land Code is considered

At the Sept. 16 Jefferson County hearing, resident Lynn Clemens told the board she supports staff’s proposed amendment to the unified land code but urged county leaders to preserve the Board of Adjustment. Clemens said the Board of Adjustment meets regularly, its members are knowledgeable and the board gives neighbors a less expensive, accessible first step to appeal administrative zoning approvals.

Why it matters: Clemens warned that if the Board of Adjustment is eliminated, administrative approvals would require special resolutions or call-ups to the planning commission or Board of County Commissioners, potentially increasing cost and limiting public input.

Clemens suggested adding a “call‑up” resolution to the unified land code, noting Urvana’s unified land code includes such a provision, and argued that the current board “allows the community to respond to variances and special exceptions requested by owners in a neighborhood.” She concluded, “If it's not broken why fix it?”

Discussion versus action: this was a public-comment appeal; no vote or change to the unified land code was taken at the hearing. Clemens asked commissioners to retain the Board of Adjustment process as staff and the county continue code updates.