Editor, Gazette Journal:

A hearing will be held on Tuesday to discuss a zoning change on Williams Wharf Road to accommodate an after-the-fact request from the Williams Wharf Oyster Company. For the first time, the county will decide if a commercial oyster factory can operate at a residential address.

This affects us all. Every homeowner in Mathews should be concerned about the precedent of changing residential zoning designations to accommodate one business. Every homeowner should wonder why we even have zoning designations and building permits if they can be ignored for so long and changed after-the-fact.

When anyone buys a home, they evaluate the surrounding neighborhood and make a decision. They don’t contemplate a factory cropping up next door and slashing their property value as well as changing the character of their neighborhood.

All of us understand the value and importance of oyster farming in Mathews. What is happening isn’t about being “for” or &l...