Last night's Humane Society meeting provides another little tale that, perhaps, will identify some of the quirks of the system:
I am involved with the local humane society. A person in town has donated a former business property to the society for use as a thrift store.
As it turns out, the business was 'grandfathered in' when the area was annexed to the town. Since the business has been closed for awhile (proprietor died, widow is donating), it is now necessary to apply for a change in the zoning in order to operate a thrift store on the location. That's right; the town had classed that business property as 'residential.'
So now it is necessary to apply to the planning commission, send out notices, and go before the town board.
As luck would have it, the Humame Society has as active members folks who also happen to be part of the respective city and county departments. The expectation is that the various hoops will be lept through both quickly and at minimal expense.
I'd hate to think of the confusing nightmare it would be if, instead, I had been wishing to base a contracting business from that same location. These functionaries taking it upon themselves to guide the paperwork through all the steps of the unknowable process will clearly ease, and expedite, the process. I mean, who's going to tell their boss 'no?'
Left unsaid is whether the property would have been donated, had the widow been able to sell it as a business property. Had her husband made a miraculous recovery after a long illness, it's very possible that the laws would have prevented him from re-opening his business.
(BTW, now you also have some insight as to why I was certain that the mysterious 'inspector' described earlier had nothing to do with city hall).
