Community Development & Planning

Board of Zoning Appeals

The Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) is a quasi-judicial board comprised of five members, all of whom are recommended by the Town Council and appointed by the Isle of Wight County Circuit Court to serve staggered five year terms. The BZA is enabled through Smithfield Zoning Ordinance Article 12, as well as Code of Virginia Section 15.2-2309, to perform (in summary) the following duties:

Review and decide on applications for variances and special exceptions.
Review and decide on applications for administrative appeals.
Review and decide on differing interpretations of the Town's Official Zoning Map.
Revoke approved special exception applications in the event of noncompliance with the terms of an approval.

The BZA meets on an as-needed basis, and is comprised of the following members:

Greg Brown, Chair (Exp. 2027-06-30)
Beth Haywood, (Exp. 2026-06-30)
Gene Monroe Vice-Chair (Exp. 2024-06-30)
Faye Seeley, (Exp. 2025-06-30)
Chris Gwaltney (Exp. 2023-06-30)

For information on the BZA's previous and upcoming activities, please see the agenda packets and minutes tabs of this page. Additionally, be advised that variances and special exceptions applications all cary a $200 fee. The fee for administrative appeals applications is $250.

Please remember that, in order to appear on a BZA meeting agenda, Town staff must receive all necessary applications, fees, and other materials no less than three weeks prior to the date of the next scheduled BZA meeting. The BZA is typically scheduled to meet on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 PM in the Smithfield Center, 220 N Church St, Smithfield, VA 23430. With the exception of the month of July, the BZA does not usually meet unless there are cases for it to review and decide.

Please direct all inquiries concerning the BZA to Tammie Clary, Community Development & Planning Director- Tammie is the designated staff member contact for the BZA. Tammie can be reached via email (tclary@smithfieldva.gov), telephone (1-(757)-365-4200), or mail (PO Box 246, Smithfield, VA 23431).