County Planning Commission copes with influx of Conditional Use Permits

The Warren County Planning Commission held its regular meeting on Wednesday, July 14, with a full slate of Conditional Use Permit (CUP) requests. A larger-than-normal audience turned out to be permit applicants and their supporters, rather than a large group of concerned citizens as at previous meetings. When Chairman Robert Myers opened the floor for public presentations on non-agenda items, there were none.

Ten Special Use Permit applications advertised for public hearings since the last regular meeting in June were on the agenda.

John Suh requested a permit for a short-term tourist rental for his Agriculturally zoned property at 515 Corron Drive in the Fork District. Planner Matt Wendling briefed the commission on the request. There is no Homeowners Association for that area, but several nearby property owners had expressed their concerns about the potential for guests to discharge firearms or use all-terrain vehicles, so Commissioner Henry asked if prohibitions of those activities could be made a condition of approval of the permit. Since the applicant was at the hearing, he agreed to make those prohibitions part of the rules for guests, and the commission then voted unanimously to recommend approval of the permit as amended.

Planner Matt Wendling describes the conditions for approval of a permit for Private Use Camping for the planning commission. Sites subject to potential flood events must take special precautions for evacuation and protecting of structures in case of predicted high water events. Royal Examiner Photos Stephen Sill

Neal Sutliffe was seeking a Conditional Use Permit for a short-term tourist rental for his property at 1720 Khyber Pass Rd. The property is zoned residential and is in the Happy Creek District. The applicant purchased the property as a derelict cabin and is rebuilding it. There were two letters opposing the permit, but no one attended the hearing. The Chairman pointed out, as he often does, that Bed & Breakfast or short-term tourist rentals are not legally considered a commercial activity, but are rather defined as residential in nature. One of the complaints centered on a debris fire that was close to the property line during the demolition process. The applicant explained that the contractor working on the property at the time had constructed a pit to get rid of the debris, but that it was a one-time occurrence and would not happen again. The commission then voted unanimously to recommend approval for the permit.

Chad and Charlene Backstrom are seeking a CUP for private use camping on their property on Burma Road in the North River District. The properties in that area are all in the Shenandoah River flood zone and so special provisions for flood emergency actions are required. The commission unanimously recommended approval of the permit.

Shawn and Christine Tsanganelias were also seeking a CUP for private use camping for another property in the same area on Burma Road in the North River District. The commission quickly approved the recommendation unanimously.

James Humphrey made it three CUP requests in a row for private use camping for another property in the same area on Burma Road in the North River District. These permit requests are often the result of periodic reviews by the planning department for recreational use lots. Owners may be unaware of the need for a permit. The commission unanimously recommended approval of the request.

The Church at Skyline requested conditional use permitting for a private school at 7655 Stonewall Jackson Highway on Agricultural land in the South River District. The school is located on church property and is unlikely to increase traffic flow to the site, the applicant stated. VDOT has already given its approval, and the County Building Inspection Department is working on its input. There were no opposing speakers, and Pastor Butch Hammond expressed his appreciation to the Planning Department and the Commission for working with the church to allow it to provide this service to the community. The commission recommended approval without objection.

Pastor Butch Hammond addresses the Commission regarding the Church at Skyline’s proposal to permit a private school on their property on Stonewall Jackson Highway.

Melissa Halko has requested a CUP for her residentially zoned property at 261 Sunset Village Road in the Fork District. There were no speakers either for or against the request. The commission unanimously recommended approval of the permit.

Ken Colton/KLC & Co, LLC, is requesting a Conditional Use Permit for the storage of cars, boats, and recreational vehicles on their property on Winners Court in the North River District. The property is zoned Industrial, and planning staff recommended the addition of a condition that vehicles stored there should be registered and insured. The commission unanimously recommended approval as presented with that condition.

Kim Countryman’s CUP request was for a country General Store at 4536 Strasburg Road in the North River District. The property was operated as the Waterlick Grocery Store for decades prior to falling into disuse. The owner discovered that prior permits had expired due to the lack of continuous operation, and embarked on an effort to renovate and reopen the business. However, VDOT must approve entrances onto a state highway and determined that the present ones at the site do not meet the safety requirements due to limited visibility. The Planning Department recommended that the commission deny approval for the permit; however, after the applicant made a personal appeal and indicated she was meeting in the next week with the VDOT representative, the commission unanimously voted to table the request for an additional month to allow the applicant to identify options to meet the VDOT requirements.

Kim Countryman makes a personal appeal to the planning commission for her plan to renovate and reopen the old Waterlick Grocery on Strasburg Road. VDOT is objecting to the existing entrances to the property.

Randall Lewis and Monica Stover requested a Conditional Use Permit for private use camping on their residentially zoned property on Farms Riverview Road in the Shenandoah District. There were no objections to the request, so the commission unanimously voted to recommend approval for the permit.

Six conditional use permit requests were presented for authorization to advertise, five for short-term tourist rentals, and one for private use camping. It appears that next month’s regular meeting will have a full agenda too.

The Planning Department announced that the long-anticipated Comprehensive Plan review has begun, and Planning Director Joe Petty expressed his appreciation for the commission’s support and work so far. He also announced that the Warren County Capital Improvement Plan (WC CIP) will be the subject of the next Planning Commission work session on August 5. Section 15.2-2239 of the Code of Virginia assigns the responsibility for capital outlay programs to the local planning commissions. The Code states that the local commission may, and at the direction of the governing body shall, prepare for a period not to exceed the ensuing five years a Capital Improvement Plan based on the Comprehensive Plan of the county or municipality. Once the plan is adopted, it is revised annually. Individual project priorities may change throughout the course of the year, and it is quite possible that certain projects may not be funded during the year initially indicated in the CIP.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.