Conservation, Campground, and Variance at County Planning Commission Meeting

The April 9 meeting of the Warren County Planning Commission found staff in good spirits as the titanic undertaking of updating the comprehensive plan and passing it at the supervisor level has come off successfully. That would be one less thing to think about until roughly 2030. Planning Director Matt Wendling expressed gratitude to his team for making it happen. At the same time, a melancholy note was struck as Commissioner Kaylee Richardson announced that due to the new commitments surrounding the publication of a book, she will not be continuing in her role on the commission but trusts that someone who shares her values, specifically in terms of agriculture, will replace her. And amid a handful of applications for short-term rentals, all of which passed unanimously with recommendations of approval to the Board of Supervisors, three items stood out from the rest: a request for withdrawal from the Rockland Ag-Forestal District to qualify certain properties for a conservation easement, a conditional use permit request for a proposed campground, and a request for a variance to allow subdivision of a property to accommodate the owner’s desire to live near family.

The Warren County Planning Commission prepares for their monthly regular meeting on the evening of Wednesday, April 9. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.

The request to withdraw properties located at 959 Milldale Farm Road from the Rockland Ag-Forestal District is summarized as follows: “County Planning staff has been working with the applicants since October 2024 to get the Ag-Forestal District Advisory Committee together from the last time they met for the renewal of the Rockland District in 2020. The committee has lost a number of members since that time; staff has worked with the Board to search for reappointments. The applicants are requesting this removal because the owner is putting the property in a conservation easement to be held by the Old Dominion Land Conservancy and is being done for tax purposes and valuation reasons. They may request to have the properties put back in the Rockland Ag-Forestal District during the 2030 renewal period depending on many factors relating to the conservation easement and any other potential restrictions … The committee is required to meet and provide a recommendation for the Planning Commission at which time they will hold a public hearing on the application and make their recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.” A member of that committee, David Brotman, was present and expressed to the commission the committee’s support for the withdrawal. The commission then forwarded a unanimous recommendation of approval to the board.

Conservationist and member of the Ag-Forestal District Advisory Committee, David Brotman, addresses the commission in favor of a withdrawal of properties from the Rockland Ag-Forestal District for the sake of conservation values

The CUP request for a campground off Panhandle Road is summarized as follows: “The applicants are requesting a conditional use permit for a campground for five parcels totaling approximately 132 acres of contiguous land accessed by Panhandle Road. The owners would like to establish a campground in conjunction with the previously approved rural events facility to help promote tourism, enhance outdoor recreation opportunities, support local businesses, and to preserve the natural landscape. With over 130 contiguous acres of land and approximately 3,000 feet of river frontage along the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, the applicants are proposing 200 primitive tent and recreational vehicle camping units along the floodplain area. The owners will minimize construction of permanent structures within the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), but any development within the SFHA shall comply with the Floodplain Overlay District regulations and requirements set forth under Warren County Code §180-16.” The commission tabled this item as the applicant expressed that in the campground’s immediate prospects, they are exceedingly unlikely to utilize the two hundred unit maximum and therefore a revision of the application is in order, while concerns raised during the hearing about management and the ease of vehicular traffic carry significant merits.

An applicant for a conditional use permit to operate a campground off Panhandle Road, Jennifer Ey, explains to the commission that while applying for a certain capacity it is exceedingly unlikely that the full capacity will be met in the first ten years of business.

The summary for the subdivision variance reads as follows: “The applicants are requesting a variance to Warren County Code §155-3.B(1)(b) of the Subdivision Ordinance to allow the voluntary transfer of a proposed subdivided lot to an immediate family member within the required five (5) years of having held fee simple title to the property. The applicants purchased the 58.658- acre property in October 2023 with the intent of farming the property and possibly subdividing it for a family subdivision.” Commissioner William Gordon, who subsequently voted ‘nay’ on this item, raised the point that the details surrounding this family situation seem to describe an “economic hardship”, which would not be a valid reason for conferring the variance. County Attorney Jordan Bowman explained that the hardship could be construed in a slightly different way that would be acceptable under code. Nevertheless, Gordon felt that the code currently lacks the mechanism to favorably address a case like this one and voted accordingly in a vote that passed 3-1.

Having addressed the evening’s business and wrapped up commission matters, the meeting adjourned after 8:30 p.m.

Click here to watch the Warren County Planning Commission Meeting of April 9, 2025.