Rules mean nothing to BZA

Put a video lottery business anywhere you wish. Let it be known, Parkersburg Board of Zoning Appeal has no rules or regulations it has the courage to enforce!

The board has rejected its own rules concerning where video lottery locations cannot be placed, thus opening the door for them to be opened anywhere.

The board rejected zoning code pertaining to video lottery locations not being permitted in residential zones, not being permitted within 1,500 feet of other video lottery locations and not being permitted within 1,500 feet of a church, contending the rules were ignored for the Parkersburg Elk and Six Pence Pub so they might as well be ignored for the Pence Group's proposed restaurant at the former location of Caesar's restaurant.

So the exception has now become the rule via precedent!

NO!!!

I propose a video lottery establishment be placed next door to the home of each member of the Board of Zoning Appeals, beside each board member's church and in a continuous line of gambling halls along Market Street. Maybe then the board would get the message. Rules and regulations exist for reasons and enough of these video lottery places already exist.