“It’s who you know, not what you know.” At the Beall Team, we prefer to deliver on both. Today, we’d like to highlight the who you know part–more specifically, the Charles Town Planning Commission.
The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia is continuing to grow like crazy. There are lots of great research papers out there like this one Eastern Panhandle Economic Outlook 2023-2027 from WV Bureau of Business & Economic Research. You can also find more current data and loads of resources here from the West Virginia Department of Economic Development. But if you live here, you already know this. If you’re thinking of living here, you have good reasons for that and are a perfect example of the growth we’re talking about.
Charles Town is a hotspot for this growth and for many good reasons. That could be a whole essay by itself. Regardless of why, the reality is that houses and businesses are popping up everywhere. That’s fantastic for homeowners and potential buyers wanting to get in on the appreciation action, but it certainly presents unique challenges for all of us living here as we, as a community at large, try to balance a growth boom with thoughtful long term planning. Enter the Charles Town Planning Commission. In a nutshell, “The Planning Commission assists in promoting the orderly development of Charles Town.” While it does have some limited regulating powers, it acts primarily as an advisory body. They get to help shape various master plans which are then submitted for consideration by the Charles Town City Council, or other appropriate local governing body. They also regularly hear appeals by developers or business owners regarding current master plans etc., and make recommendations to the City Council etc. on whether to approve such proposed changes or variances. A typical packet sent to the commission members for pre-meeting review can be several hundred pages long, including things like sketch plans, bond reduction requests, rezoning requests, text amendments, relevant traffic studies and more. At the actual public meetings, relevant stakeholders get to present in person, and from there the Planning Commission makes their decisions and formulates their recommendations. If you’d like to review the Agenda Packet yourself or review past meeting minutes, you can do so from here.
Jess joined the commission several years ago, and currently serves as the vice chair. (The photo here is from a recent meeting where she was acting chair.) Serving in this volunteer position has been a great way to meet people, from long time local residents to local businesspersons, to developers, to government employees and elected officials. Need to know who the local movers and shakers are? We have that list. The Commission meetings have also offered an insider's view into what is happening in our hometown. No one can predict the future, but it helps to have eyes on the front lines. Finally, it has been a thrilling and humbling experience to have the opportunity to help shape the future of our local community. It’s easy to get distracted by national politics, but local government of the people and by the people is still where a lot of daily rubber meets the road. You want to be in the room where it’s happening? We are.
So what questions do you have? Your local area experts are here to help you find the answers and make the connections you need to succeed in your real estate dreams. Let's talk.
