The top item on the evening's agenda was the passage of an amendment to the Middleburg Zoning Ordinances that would allow the Salamander Inn to operate a "rural resort" on its property within the town.

After months of lengthy and prolonged discussions among representatives of Salamander Development, LLC, the Town planning and legal staff, and members of the town Planning Commission a 28-page amendment to the Town's zoning ordinance was adopted by the Planning Commission on May 8, and presented for approval by the full Town Council on Thursday night. Only one minor amendment to the text was passed, words suggested by Margaret New, and adding emphasis to the injunction that only predominately "passive" recreational activities would be allowed on land defined and set aside as "open space." By a unanimous vote the Council then approved the changes in the zoning law, thus bringing the Salamander Inn and Spa, and the installation of a new waste water treatment plant for the Town, one step nearer to completion. Mayor Dimos commended the leadership of the Planning Commission and its chair, Stephen Plescow, Council member Mark Snyder, and the town's professional staff, especially the Town's legal counsel, Elizabeth Whiting, for their painstaking, word-by-word consideration of the lengthy amendment to the Town's zoning laws.