30 Extra Days Given To Zoning Violator

The Orange County Board of Commissioners moved to withhold the civil penalties against Hulan Bradshaw, of 3714 Mill Creek Road, in an action described by several commissioners as keeping with the "holiday spirit."

Bradshaw has incurred a $3,600 fine, which will be removed if he complies with the commissioners by Dec. 19.

If Bradshaw does not remove the trailer by Dec. 19, the commissioners will require him to pay the fine and also will fine him an additional $100 each day that it remains on the property.

But Commissioner Barry Jacobs said the decision had less to do with the spirit of the season and more to do with the often sluggish process of bureaucracy that might be hindering Bradshaw from removing the trailer.

"When dealing with the government it's often frustrating, and we feel it's better to give (people) the benefit of the doubt," Jacobs said.

According to a report by the Orange County Department of Planning, Bradshaw was responsible for a "continuing zoning violation pertaining to the storage of an unanchored, unsecured single-wide manufactured home on property with a residence located on it."

If no effort has been made to resolve the violation within 30 days, the fine will be imposed, the report states.

Two homes presently are located on Bradshaw's lot, but county zoning regulations state that only one principal structure is permitted on one lot of land.

The department responded to the initial complaint filed Feb. 21 by sending a notice of violation to Bradshaw on March 1.

The planning department also sent out two subsequent notices.

At the board meeting, Tom King, the zoning enforcement officer who has been handling the Bradshaw case, said Bradshaw had expressed some interest in moving the trailer to another property.

Bradshaw did not attend the meeting and could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Planning department inspectors confirmed the continuing violation at the Bradshaw property on four separate on-site inspections, the last one being Oct. 15.

King said the board's decision is representative of the flexibility local government gives people.

"The motion is to give him one last chance to meet regulation," King said.

"We're not here just to penalize people."

The City Editor can be reached

at citydesk@unc.edu.