Roseboro owner Ron Ketelsen can go ahead with his restaurant plans after Sharon's Joint Planning Board stood behind its parking requirements for the Main Street project.
"Can I please just say 'enough,'" said JPB member Carl Seegers. "Why are we rehashing what we've been rehashing for months?"
The short answer is because the County Planning Commission approved the parking compromise the JPB came up with when it approved Mr. Ketelsen's special use permit for the restaurant--but on the condition that he create a 25-spot parking lot.
The JPB compromise-and the one seven members voted unanimously to back again Wednesday-calls for Mr. Ketelsen to create six off-street parking spots at the rear of the Roseboro within a year of opening.
Though he has the land for parking, Mr. Ketelsen has resisted building a lot until he sees whether the business is a success because of the cost involved.
The village zoning code allows for its parking requirements to be met using some of the available on-street spots, but other businesses have argued that since they were required to put in parking lots, Mr. Ketelsen should be forced to do the same.
"We came to a really good workable solution," Mr. Ketelsen said. "I hope you can stick with your original decision.
The CPC had been expected to rubber-stamp the JPB decision and gave no reason for its 10-0 decision other than to rule that the Roseboro restaurant has countywide significance.
Both things puzzled the JPB.
"I have to wonder what their countywide significance is," said JPB Chairman Ray Parsons. "It's almost like it was intentionally left out.
"My impression of something with countywide significance is when they built Wal-Mart. A restaurant in the Roseboro isn't going to change traffic patterns in Middleburgh."
"Our zoning code clearly allows us to be doing what we're doing," he added.
Ann Adams, another JPB member, said she didn't disagree-but said they need to be very clear when sending their decision back to the CPC about why they're standing behind their original decision.
Reasons include the size of the project, range of services, and location, all specifically mentioned in the zoning code, along with the fact that the zoning code allows the JPB to consider on-street parking when establishing requirements.
"And I think we're all in agreement that if this gets to be a bigger project, obviously, things are going to have to be looked at again," Mr. Parsons said.
The JBP required a super-majority of at least five to overrule the CPC; the vote was unanimous.

EX-MAYOR BLASTS DEAL. See related story in our paper edition.