County Planning Commission considers County Fair parking and Reliance Road Church proposals – Rockland rezoning tabled to June

The Warren County Planning Commission held its regular meeting on March 8 at the Government Center.  For the first time, all the members were using County-supplied tablets and electronic copies of the agenda package. The CivicClerk system enables the department to distribute information paperlessly to the members and to the press (this agenda’s documentation package ran to 430 pages!), thereby saving taxpayer money and staff time and radically reducing waste.

Chairman Robert Myers began the meeting by announcing a highly anticipated rezoning request – to rezone a 103.8-acre parcel of the present Shenandoah Valley Golf Club to allow the development of 286 single-family age-restricted homes was being removed from the agenda.  The applicant, SVGC owner Richard Runyon, told Royal Examiner he requested the extension to June to allow a VDOT report to be completed and accommodate more public interaction.  Planning Department staff had already notified the Commission of some conflict with the County’s Comprehensive Plan and Future land use maps.

Fully half of the attendees at the Commission’s meeting left after hearing that the SVGC zoning map and comprehensive plan requests had been – temporarily – withdrawn.

A crowd gathered at the County Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday prior to learning that the rezoning of the Shenandoah Valley Golf Club property that is drawing significant opposition was pulled from the agenda. Photos by Stephen Sill.

Once the room had cleared, the Commission proceeded with the reduced agenda.

The Warren County Fair Association has requested a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a Motor Freight Terminal for their Industrial (I)-zoned property at 274 Fairground Road in the North River District.  Despite the terminology, the request is for a 5.8-acre parking area for overflow empty trailer parking from the Family Dollar facility across Fairground Road.  Spokesman Dennis Grove told the commission that the Fair Association can derive some revenue for its operations by leasing the parcel for the temporary storage of empty trailers.  The trailers are parked in the overflow lot while empty only.

The Commissioners discussed the proposal at some length and questioned the site preparation and potential impact on surrounding properties.  Vice Chairman Henry asked if some of the recommended conditions could be waived since the intent is not a permanent hardstand area.  The property had previously been approved as a contractor’s material storage area, but that permit had expired. In the end, the Commission voted to table the application until the applicant could provide a general site plan and consultation with the Family Dollar representative regarding the improvements to be made.

Warren County Fair Association representative Dennis Groves defends a proposal to use part of the Fairground property as an overflow temporary parking for empty trailers from the Family Dollar Distribution Center across Fairground Road.

Eric Wayne Adams has applied for a short-term tourist rental CUP for his property at 1850 Gooney Manor Loop in Browntown in the South River District.  The property is zoned Agricultural (A) and is currently being built.  There were no speakers either for or against and, on a Motion by Vice-Chairman Henry, seconded by Commissioner Scott Kersjes, the commission voted unanimously to recommend approval.

Elena Gallo is requesting a CUP for a short-term tourist rental for her property at 242 Parnassus Road in the Happy Creek District.  The property is zoned Residential (R-1).  This request included a setback waiver since there are only 80 feet of distance to the nearest property and not the required 100 feet.  The applicant provided letters from all the neighboring properties supporting the proposed use, including the property nearest the site that would require the waiver.  There were no speakers at the public hearing.  A brief discussion among the commissioners about the possibility of establishing a precedent by allowing the waiver ended with an agreement that every application stands on its own merits, and in this case, the approval of the neighboring property owners strongly supports the waiver.  On a motion by Vice-Chairman Henry, seconded by Commissioner Kaylee Richardson, the Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval.

John Randolph and  Debra Lynn Clark are applying for a CUP for a short-term tourist rental for their property at 1207 Buck Mountain Road.  The property is zoned Agricultural (A) and is in the South River district.  There were no public speakers, and with very little discussion on a motion by Commissioner Richardson, seconded by Commissioner Kersjes, the Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval.

There were two CUP applications for a church at 2203 Reliance Road.  The proposal by the Society of St. Pius X is to first convert an existing barn building for use as a chapel for up to 300 persons until a permanent church structure can be built on an adjoining property. The second request was for a church to be built on that adjoining property. The properties are zoned agricultural (A) in the North River District.  The public hearing for the first request yielded five speakers, three of whom opposed the application.  Richard Jamison questioned whether the number of projected attendees was accurate and whether adequate traffic safety analysis was provided.  Reliance Road is narrow and winding and already busy as a shortcut from US-522 to Middletown.  He also said that required lighting would adversely affect nearby residences in the wooded area surrounding the property.   He questioned the appropriateness of a church in that location.  There’s a high likelihood that there is inadequate sight distance for an entrance, particularly if there is any backup of traffic. The other two opposing speakers echoed those concerns.  The speakers favoring the proposal were apparently members of the congregation who acknowledged that the plans were in an “embryonic state” and that they shared the concerns that neighbors had expressed.

Property owner Joseph Whittaker, who owns a farm on Reliance Road, describes a proposal to temporarily convert his barn to a church facility for the Society of St. Pius X until the church can build a new facility on an adjoining 10-acre parcel.

Speaker Joe Whittaker, who owns the property where the barn will be adapted for use as a church, indicated that locating the church services in the barn is a temporary measure, while funds can be raised to build the new church, but did not elaborate on how long that temporary period would be.  The commissioners discussed the application but determined that the plan was missing a lot of needed detail.  They finally agreed, on a motion by Vice-Chairman Henry, Seconded by Commissioner Greg Huson, to recommend approval for the conditional use, limited to an attendance of 300, and subject to Building, Health Department, and VDOT permit approvals for the site.  A Site Plan will also have to be developed and approved.

The Commission voted unanimously, on a motion by Vice-Chairman Henry, seconded by Commissioner Kersjes, to table the second request, that of the Society of St. Pius X for the adjoining parcel for a CUP to build the permanent church.  The applicants will have the opportunity to provide more detail and plans for that site.

Finally, the Commission unanimously passed its Consent Agenda of items approved to advertise for public hearing. Those included:

Shelly Cook – A request for a CUP for a Short-term Tourist Rental. The property is located at (0) Lee Burke Road and is zoned Residential-One (R-1) and located in the Fork District.

David Cressell has applied for a conditional use permit for gunsmithing services on his property at 275 Gary Lane in the Shenandoah District. It is zoned Residential (R1)

Erica Baker has submitted a request for 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 property is located on 64 Tara Road in the Shenandoah District and is identified on tax map 15 as lot 2C2. The property is Agriculturally zoned (A).

Michaun M. Pierre is requesting a CUP for a Short-term Tourist Rental. For property at 726 Harmony Orchard Road. The property is zoned Agricultural (A) and located in the South River Magisterial District

Harry H. Heard has requested an amendment to Chapter 180 of the Warren County Code Section §180-21.C(9) to add as an accessory use Mobile Food Establishment in conjunction with a commercial nursery/garden center/wayside stand.

Rural Events Facility – Warren County Planning Staff is proposing to amend Chapter 180 of the Warren County Code Sections §180-8 to amend the definition to allow lodging permitted as an accessory use and to amend Section §180-55.2 to add and modify supplemental regulations relating to Rural Event Facility general requirements and standards for lodging of event guests. These requests will be advertised for a public hearing for the April regular Commission meeting on April 12 at 7:00 pm in the Warren County Government Center.