The Shepherdstown Town Council has approved a change to the town’s ordinance to allow condominiums within the corporate limits. The first reading of the ordinance change was heard in January 22, with the second and final reading scheduled for February 12. If approved, the ordinance will be enacted immediately. The amended ordinance will refer to the “Unit Property Act,” set forth in Chapter 36A of the West Virginia Code.

According to Shepherdstown zoning officer John Mathews, qualifying property must be located within the town’s second residential district (R2). Mathews added that condos would also be allowable in the residential/commercial district (RC), but that commercial condos will not be allowed under these rule changes.

Mathews said that Piedmont Properties, owned by former Shepherdstown planning commission chair Roger Munro and local realtor Dan Anderson, is likely to be the first applicant for condo status. Piedmont is developing a four-unit apartment building next to the Sheetz store on Route 45. The Piedmont property was annexed into Shepherdstown in late 2007, zoned as R2. Mathews said that while it is typically presumed that all land is zoned R1 when annexed into Shepherdstown, the Piedmont property was annexed as R2 because it was already a multi-family building. Mathews said that so far no one has opposed the condominium ordinance.

Councilman Jim Ford said that the new ordinance would not encourage people to carve up old buildings. He said that the council sought legal opinion before voting on the ordinance, and that, from a legal perspective, there were no negative impacts of condos. “You could argue instead that people who own condos will be more stable than those who rent apartments,” he said.