This year, the county has issued 18 flood-plain permits allowing projects to be completed within the flood plain. Planners have been using Google Earth for several years to ensure that people are getting permits needed to build in flood plains, Conell said. “I think the ag people probably haven’t gotten the word,” Conell said. Previously, permits were only required for any structure located on a tracts fewer than 20 acres. And a permit is also required on agricultural parcels fewer than 160 acres. Under the changes, location conformance permits are now required for all buildings larger than 200 square feet. It didn’t have a permit.Ĭonell said the larger number of buildings put up without permits is probably tied to changes in the county’s zoning regulations that went into effect Aug. The county learned of the construction of one 2,400-square-foot building from the state Department of Revenue, which assesses the value of properties for property tax purposes, Conell said. Structures that have gone up without permits include barns and sheds, outbuildings, greenhouses, shops, garages, houses, cabins and mobile homes.Ī house and garage was constructed on Dracut Hill Road.Īnd a shop and barn went up on Diamond Lane. “I don’t think it’s willful for the most part.” “Some people really believe if you’re in the county you don’t need a permit,” Conell said. In most instances, the types of structures that were constructed would have been allowed with a permit, such as the sawmill, Conell said. “We got it all worked through,” Heisey said. After receiving a letter from the county, he went in and spoke to county planners. Luke Heisey, the owner of Big Sky Sawmill, said he figured he didn’t need a permit because it was planned in the country. “The goal is not to spy on them, the goal is to get them permits that are required,” Conell said.Ĭounty planners learned about some of the 109 violations from complaints from neighbors, and from their own observations, she said.īut the majority of the 109 violations were discovered using Google Earth, Conell said.Īmong the construction projects was a sawmill north of Vaughn. “This is just one way to do my job thoroughly,” she said. Google Earth is a tool that saves time and money, Conell said. The zoning regulations require that a $200 fee be assessed if work on the structure begins prior to the issuance of a location conformance permit. The cost of a location conformance permit needed to construct a building is $50. Some raised privacy concerns because of the county’s use of Google Earth and others complained about the cost of the permits, Conell said. Three people indicated they plan to fight the violations, Conell said. Of the 109 violations, 71 have been resolved after property owners received the letter from the county and applied for permits, Conell said. “We want to get them permitted,” she said. The county is seeking cooperation, not confrontation in sending the letters, Conell said. Since October, the Planning Office has sent 109 letters to property owners notifying them that it has come to the county’s attention that buildings have been built on the property in violation of the county’s zoning rules. “I’m surprised there’s that much construction we don’t know about,” Conell said. Zoning changes went into effect on that date requiring residents to get a location conformance permit from the county before buildings are constructed on parcels fewer than 160 acres.ĭozens of new buildings have been discovered, said Susan Conell, the county’s planning director. 25, 2009, to current conditions on the ground. Using the program, county planners, from the office, are systematically viewing areas of the county and comparing satellite images taken after Aug. Google Earth is a map and geographical information program that uses photographs and images taken by satellites. Cascade County, with the help of Google, has discovered dozens of new buildings, including a sawmill, constructed without permits since new zoning regulations went into effect in 2009.
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