The Mathews County Board of Zoning Appeals, meeting Aug. 13, affirmed a notice of violation against William Eley and Robin Hooper of Williams Wharf Road that Planning and Zoning Director Thomas Jenkins issued in February, stating that the couple was operating its oyster business without the necessary permit.
Then, on a split vote, with Paul Vanden Bout and chair William Small voting against, the board directed Jenkins to work with the father-daughter duo to bring the business, Williams Wharf Oyster Company, in line with the county’s zoning ordinance.
The business operates on three parcels, a 5.35-acre lot and a 1.9-acre lot owned by Eley and his wife, Susan, that they lease to the oyster company and an adjacent 3.3-acre lot owned by Hooper, who owns the business. Jenkins issued the notice of violation on the basis that the activity being conducted on the three parcels was in the residential zoning district and needed either a zoning permit or a conditional use permit, depending on the ...