The City of Washington's Zoning Appeals Board met Thursday night with an unusually full house of interested citizens as it considered, and approved, a variance to a conditional use permit to allow Lafayette Manor Inn to serve evening meals to non-guests.

The variance was approved, Board Chairman Pete Gartrell said, with conditions concerning restricting the restaurant to private parties with reservations, forbidding parking on Robert Toombs Avenue, maintaining the nature of the Historic District, and minimizing food waste impact issues. The variance will be reviewed in 24 months.

An overflow crowd filled the City Council chambers and the adjourning hallway to listen as board chairman Gartrell introduced the Zoning Appeals Board members William Amis, Henry Bowen, Rev. Bill Boyd, and James Gilmore.

The public hearing was set to consider whether owners Guillame and Sokun Slama may serve an evening meal by reservation at their new Lafayette Manor Inn bed and breakfast at 219 E. Robert Toombs. Representing the Slamas was attorney Michael Horgan, who laid the legal groundwork for their request, saying that it was a reasonable use of their land, was not at variance with the Historic District in which the owner-occupied home rests, and that it would not negatively impact the inn's neighbors. Of the 19 structures nearby, Horgan pointed out, 14 were commercial, museums, or churches.

Horgan reviewed the Historical District ordinance with the board, and said that the application was in harmony with the scope and purpose of the historic district, and that it would contribute to the value of the area as a tourism destination.

He quoted from letters of support written by other bed and breakfast owners, and discussed the potential parking limitations of the Slama's property. There would be no truck deliveries, Horgan said, no lighting would be added, and there would be no exterior changes to the building.

The inn, Horgan said, would not really be a public restaurant. The owners would take advance reservations only, for only one seating a night, at 7:30. Although they could serve as many as 24, the Slamas expected the usual number of customers to be 10 to 14.

Questions arose from the audience as to the nature of the food service operation. Board members, Horgan, the Slamas, and visitors discussed whether the inn was indeed a restaurant. A visitor asked if the Slamas had applied for all the permits and inspections required of any business serving food, and Horgan said they had, and listed the licenses, inspections, and fees the Slamas had dealt with.

Members of community asked questions of the board, the Slamas, and Horgan. Ray Hurd, who lives next door to the Slamas spoke as the neighbor who might be most affected by the variance. "I've never met a restaurant I didn't like," Hurd said, "but it concerns me to have one this close. The homeowners nearest the B &B have

right to peaceful coexistence, and a right to privacy. My wife and I spend 90 percent of our free time on our wraparound porch on the east side, which puts it directly in the line of fire of what these folks are doing next door. When they have lights on in the parking area and the house, and there are cars coming and going, it's very uncomfortable for us, because our houses are so close. Their trash receptacles are 17 feet from our property."

Hurd stated that he was not against the Slamas' operation, but he did desire restrictions that would protect the surrounding homeowners from unnecessary intrusion.

Most of the crowd attending the meeting supported the addition of a venue for high-end French cuisine in Washington. C. Carol Cartledge had dinner there and spoke highly of the experience. "They're so gracious, and the food is superb," she said, "and it was a treat for me because it's expensive. It's something this town really needs, and it's going to add so much to Washington if you all approve this."

In their favorable ruling, the Zoning Appeals Board addressed the concerns of Hurd and others, Gartrell said, with several restrictions to the variance. "The location will not be allowed to have solid waste stored outside the building, and waste must be in containers in a screened area where the neighbors can't see it."

Another condition restricted the food service and accommodations to private groups by reservation only, Gartrell said. "It's not a public restaurant," he said. "They're only serving private groups."

Other conditions forbid parking on Robert Toombs Avenue and cautioned that the historical residential nature of the area not be changed.

A final condition stated that the variance would be reviewed by the Planning Commission in 24 months to ensure all requirements were met.

Gartrell said that although the appeals board did not rule on lighting issues, he said that the Slamas were working on a neighbor-to-neighbor basis to satisfy those issues.