Although Wykeham Rise owner and developer Matthew Klauer has moved on from the December denial of his application to site an inn at 101 Wykeham Road - now proposing an affordable housing complex on the property - town officials and members of the public continue to resurrect the issue of the inn.

Zoning Commissioner Gary Fitzherbert accused his fellow commissioners of intentionally changing the zoning regulations in order to defeat the proposed inn at the group's July meeting.

In his statement to the commission, Mr. Fitzherbert charged that the frequent revisions to the application requested by the Zoning Commission and opponents of the project required constant changes, making it hard to understand.

"There was no time to be able to look at it, discuss it and have counter arguments, and the commission is totally responsible for that occurring," asserted Mr. Fitzherbert, who later floated a motion that was tabled to change the town's regulations to allow inns in residential districts, as well as on state roads.

Mr. Fitzherbert's attack on the commission, along with subsequent comments he has made advocating looser zoning regulations governing businesses in Washington, has raised the ire of some, and two residents appeared at the September 21 Zoning meeting to rebut his comments.

Rob Parker told the commission that his understanding of Zoning's purpose is to preserve the town through the institution of its zoning regulations. Mr. Parker questioned whether the commission is moving toward less regulation.

Commission Chairman David Owen noted that this is the first time in his experience someone has observed that the Zoning Commission is not strict.

Mr. Fitzherbert stated that the Zoning Commission is to regulate the zoning regulations based on "some kind of plan."

Mr. Parker said that he was offended by Mr. Fitzherbert's suggestion at the July meeting that the Zoning Commission was not fair and did not do its job regarding the Wykeham Rise application. He believes the commission is doing a good job for the town.

Former Planning Commissioner Chris Charles entered a letter into the record regarding the ongoing conversation about the Wykeham inn proposal.

In his letter, several of the claims made in favor of the inn were disputed. The increase of jobs for town residents, energy efficiency, "affordable" rooms priced at $400 a night and up all made Mr. Charles' list.

Mr. Charles maintained that the 2002 Final Report of the Housing Study and the 2003 Plan of Conservation and Development were never considered, and that those documents prove that adding jobs to Washington's roster is not what is needed; affordable housing is.

Mr. Charles also made the case for defining what an inn is - something that has been discussed at length on multiple occasions by members of the Zoning Commission, but has yet to be resolved.

"In short, I think the discussion of inns opens the door to a larger and more important discussion which would be the future of the town," he said, suggesting that the Board of Selectmen charge the Planning Commission to form an Ad Hoc Committee made up of representatives of all commissions, the WVFD, churches, volunteer organizations, the business community, and others, to explore benchmarks that are being established for energy conservation and carbon emissions, the implications of a Total Real Estate Build Out, housing issues, schools, and the creation of middle income jobs.

"It is my belief that if we can frame our discussions of inns in a broader conversation, we will be able to arrive at answers to our questions in a civil and constructive manner, resulting in a report that gives us a clear and comprehensive direction for the town's long range future," concluded Mr. Charles.

The Zoning Commission meets next at 7:30 p.m. October 26 in Bryan Memorial Town Hall.