Planning Board must weigh impact to residents
Your story about a request to allow an event center in a rural Washington County neighborhood zoned for agriculture and single-family residential use (Sept. 17) spotlights an important role played by the county's Planning Board and staff. County ordinances require that a conditional-use permit be obtained before development activities other than those associated with agriculture or residence can be established. The Planning Board determines whether or not requirements established by ordinance and resulting regulations have been met. Significant work by county planning staff provides factual basis and analysis needed by the board. The requirements address issues of public safety and potential environment damage, as well as compatibility with the surrounding area and uses.
Some requirements, such as whether applicable fire codes are met, can be assessed through a check sheet. Other requirements require judgment calls that must weigh differing value sets. An example is considering whether "the conditional use will not be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the surrounding area for the purposes already permitted."
I live adjacent to the property on South Shaeffer Road near Greenland mentioned in your article. I believe several of the requirements are unmet for the conditional-use permit requested. Many of my neighbors agree with me. The Planning Board must consider the needs of the requester, surrounding neighbors and the broader public.
Jim Lukens
Fayetteville
Morality not exclusive
to the faithful
A letter writer on Aug. 27 stated a good moral life cannot be lived outside of God, I would like to show the other side.
The writer gave as an example Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot, who are murderous, evil humans and also atheists.
The writer was trying to make us believe the only reason they murder is because they are atheists.
I beg to differ.
The following is just a small list of people who have publicly stated they are atheist or agnostic. For anyone who does not recognize the names and what they have contributed to this world, Google them: Marie Curie, Einstein, Francis Crick, Stephen Hawking, Andrew Carnegie, Bertrand Russell, Robert L. Stevenson. I don't think any of them have committed murder.
I would also point out that every day we live and work with atheist doctors, nurses, EMTs, police, firemen, whose job is to save lives. These people do this type of work because they love it and they love helping people.
There are also atheists who work for Red Cross, the Peace Corps, in homeless shelters soup kitchens and food banks.
Why? Because they don't need God to tell them it is a morally good thing to love their neighbor and to help those less
fortunate.
Atheists are good moral people, the same as Christians.
Sue Totten
Bentonville
Commentary on 09/23/2016