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<br /> Crowd outside Orange County Courthouse is protesting a proposed zoning special-use permit to allow a move to Hillsborough by PRE,a mail-
<br /> order adult products company.
<br /> of the parties to offer evidence, cross-examine adverse
<br /> Evidentiary Hearings witnesses, inspect documents, have sworn testimony,
<br /> have the decision based only on evidence that is prop
<br /> It is important to remember the purpose of eviden-
<br /> tiary zoning hearings.Unlike legislative hearings,they are erly in the hearing record,and have written findings of
<br /> not designed to solicit broad public opinion about how fact supported by competent, substantial, and material
<br /> the board should vote on the matter before it. Rather, evidence?"
<br /> they provide an opportunity for the board to gather the
<br /> facts it needs to apply policies already set in the ordi- Notice of Hearings
<br /> nance.Therefore,while the notice requirements are not The notice requirements for an evidentiary zoning
<br /> as broad,the standards on gathering evidence are much hearing are narrower than those for a legislative rezon-
<br /> more strict than they are for legislative hearings. ing hearing.The purpose of the notice for these eviden-
<br /> tiary hearings is not to let the entire community know
<br /> Requirements for a Hearing about a proposed policy being debated but to alert those
<br /> Quasi-judicial zoning decisions arise in those situations most directly affected about an opportunity to present
<br /> where the decision maker must investigate facts, draw relevant facts to those who are applying a policy already
<br /> conclusions from them, and exercise some element of set in the ordinance.This is true even though there may
<br /> discretion in applying standards that previously have been be broad public interest in the outcome of the decision.
<br /> set in the zoning ordinance to a specific situation.This Still, the constitutional guarantees of due process
<br /> includes decisions on variances,special-and conditional- must always be observed:the parties to the matter must
<br /> use permits, and appeals of administrative determine- be.given reasonable notice of the hearing.Thus an indi-
<br /> tions. These decisions may be made by the governing vidual-mailed notice to the applicant and any affected
<br /> board,the board of adjustment,or the planning board, party who has requested notice must be provided. It is
<br /> depending upon how the individual zoning ordinance also a good idea to provide individual mailed notice to
<br /> involved is structured. adjacent property owners, even though it may not be
<br /> The courts have held that the constitutional require- legally required.However,the detailed newspaper notice
<br /> ments of due process mandate that all fair trial standards and individual mailed-notice provisions in the zoning
<br /> be observed when quasi-judicial zoning decisions are enabling statute do not apply to evidentiary hearings for
<br /> made, no matter which local board is making the deci- quasi-judicial zoning decisions.Some local governments
<br /> sion.This includes an evidentiary hearing with the right have voluntarily put these same requirements into their
<br /> 32 POPULAR GOVERNMENT Spring 1993
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