At reduced numbers County Planning Commission considers rezoning requests and more storage facilities

The Warren County Planning Commission met Wednesday, May 12th, minus absent commissioner Joe Longo and with a continued vacancy for the seat previously held by Crystal Beall. Supervisor Cheryl Cullers indicates that fill for that vacancy will be voted on by the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, May 18th.

Several personnel changes in the Planning Department were also announced at the meeting. Former Zoning Administrator Joe Petty has assumed the position of Director of Planning, formerly held by Taryn Logan, and Matt Wendling has become the Deputy Director of Planning. Ms. Logan, in her new role as Deputy County Administrator, will continue to provide assistance to the planning department, much to the relief of Director Petty.

New County Planning Director Joe Petty looks forward to a challenging future. He removed his mask just long enough for a smiling photo.

There weren’t any public presentations, so Chairman Robert Myers moved into unfinished business from the last meeting on April 14th.

Raymond Ditto had requested a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a short-term tourist rental for his residential property at 461 Thunderbird Road in the South River Magisterial District.

Due to the age of the property, The Department of Health had no records for it, and therefore couldn’t determine the allowable occupancy, so the commission tabled the request. The applicant has been working with the staff and the Health Department to complete their records and develop an occupancy limit. So, as not to further delay the approval, the planning staff recommended language in the approval motion to assure that occupancy would not exceed that determined by the health department. The commission then agreed without dissent to forward the application to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation of approval.

There were four public hearings for the commissioners this month.

Salvador and Josette Barragan have requested a change to the Warren County Zoning map to rezone approximately 1.77 Acres from Residential (R-1) to Agricultural along Mint Springs Road in the Dungadin Subdivision, South River Magisterial District. The applicants want to extend their adjacent agricultural zoned properties to pasture livestock and construct a run-in shed for horses. The commissioners received a letter from the Dungadin, Inc. president, requesting the Board of Supervisors not approve the request, citing concerns over water supply and runoff issues. However, there were also communications from five neighboring property owners supporting the rezoning request. The Commission again voted without dissent to recommend approval of the request to the Board of Supervisors.

Ryan and Kelsey Speers are requesting a Conditional Use Permit for a guest house on their 20.9-acre property at Liberty Hall and Lands Run Roads in the South River District. A “Guest House” is defined by the ordinance as a living unit that is not intended for permanent occupancy and cannot be used for paid guests, as opposed to a short-term tourist rental. The Speers intend to eventually build their permanent residence on the property and will use their guest house for part-time residency until their primary residence is built. The planning staff recommended that in addition to the regular conditions, that a condition will be placed on the deed at the time of transfer to a new owner that rental or leasing of the structure for monetary compensation is prohibited and that it is limited to part-time occupancy up to six months.

Jim Smith addresses the commission regarding a guest house on Liberty Hall Road.

One citizen, Jim Smith spoke during the Public Hearing for this permit request. He asked if the unit being built by the Speers could be rented out. Staff reiterated the prohibition in the recommendation that such use would be prohibited. Mr. Smith indicated that he had been hunting in that area for over 40 years and was concerned about people walking along the old right-of-way on the property. The property owner indicated their only plan was occasionally walking in the woods along the abandoned right-of-way toward the national park boundary, and would gladly coordinate with neighbors.

The commission again approved the recommendation for approval to the Board of Supervisors without dissent.

David Khol is seeking a Conditional Use Permit for his Agriculturally zoned property at 519 Freezeland Road in the Happy Creek District for a short-term tourist rental. The property is Mr. Kohl’s primary residence, and it will be available for rental on occasions when the owner is out of town. The Applicant has engaged a property manager to handle the property rental. The Commission again forwarded a recommendation of approval to the Board of Supervisors with no dissenting vote.

Melissa and Johnathan Greene submitted a Conditional Use Permit request for a guesthouse on their Agriculturally zoned property on Gooney Manor Loop in the South River District. The Greenes intend to build a home on the property but want to create a loft apartment in an existing barn, so they can spend weekends on the property in the meantime. Planning Department Staff again outlined the requirement that a guesthouse cannot be used for rental purposes and occupancy is limited to part-time up to six months in a calendar year. Once again without a dissenting vote cast, the commissioners present forwarded the request to the county supervisors with a recommendation of approval.

In the Authorization to Advertise for a public hearing section of the meeting, three CUP requests from 9700 Court, LLC were presented for a facility on Winchester Road in the North River Magisterial District for the construction of a climate-controlled 63,000 square-foot enclosed storage building, and an additional car, boat, and RV storage area at the back of that lot.

A representative for the applicant Scott Stickley provided a brief overview of the project, which would proceed in phases, depending on the business. Future expansion could eventually increase the total square footage of rentable storage to 84,000 s.f. The property is zoned commercial and lies within the Route 340/522 Overlay District, which has architectural, landscape, and overall appearance requirements that must be met. If approved, this project would be the fifth such facility in a 5- mile radius. However, the applicant asserts that industry studies indicate there is more than enough demand to justify the additional facility.

There were no citizen speakers regarding the project, and the commissioners approved advertising a public hearing for the project.

Newly assigned Planning Director Joe Petty briefed the commission on a schedule for a rewrite of the County Comprehensive Plan, with work scheduled to begin in earnest in July 2021, with completion forecast by July 2022. He also expressed confidence in the challenges ahead in his new role and his appreciation for his predecessor continuing to be available to provide her expertise as he “learns the ropes”.

Finally, the Chairman presented the outgoing planning director with a warm farewell augmented by flowers as a token of the commissioners’ appreciation and esteem for her many contributions.

Chairman Robert Myers presents the goodies to outgoing Planning Director, now Deputy County Administrator Taryn Logan, in recognition of her many services to the Planning Commission during her tenure.

The meeting was adjourned at 8 p.m.