Supervisors Approve 3 Short-Term Rentals, Get Staff Report on Website Online Payment Issues at First October Meeting

Following an Executive Session/Closed meeting that ran only three minutes over its scheduled one-hour timeframe convened at 6 p.m., the Warren County Board of Supervisors regular meeting of Tuesday, October 1, was convened by Chairman Cheryl Cullers at 7:07 p.m. There was no open meeting action taken on the closed meeting’s three topics: various actual or probable EDA litigations; public displays on the Warren County Courthouse lawn; and a contractual agreement w/ Page Co. for landfill services.

Vice-Chair ‘Jay’ Butler reads his board out of Closed Session just 3 minutes past the scheduled regular meeting starting time of 7 p.m. – Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

The open meeting’s agenda was approved as presented with four public hearings scheduled, three for Conditional Use Permit (CUP) applications for Short-term Tourist Rentals, and one for approval of a hanger lease at the County-overseen Front Royal Airport (FRR). There was also a seven-item Consent Agenda up for approval. The latter was approved as presented, and all four Public Hearing applications were approved, with only one drawing a single negative vote.

That negative vote was from Vicky Cook, apparently based on the Short-term Rental applicant Andres Barkil-Oteo’s request for a waiver of the 100-foot setback requirement from adjacent properties. The other supervisors appeared satisfied that the neighbor whose property lies 35 feet from the applicant’s, thus requiring the setback waiver, had submitted a letter of support for their neighbor’s Short-term Rental permitting application. So, on a motion by John Stanmeyer, second Richard Jamieson, the CUP request of Andres Barkil-Oteo was approved by a 4-1 vote, Cook dissenting.

As noted in the Agenda staff summary presented by Zoning Administrator Chase Lenz, the involved Barkil-Oteo property is located at 351 Donna Court in the Shenandoah Farms – Riverview subdivision in the Shenandoah Magisterial District and is zoned Residential-One (R-1). The applicant was present to respond to questions. One from Vice-Chairman “Jay” Butler was where the applicant lived in viewing the involved property as a potential “second home.” The response was “D.C.”

Butler explained the question as relating to his concern that outside investors claiming a “Second Home” intent in Short-term rental permitting applications will eventually be found to be living in Canada or other points far, far away where the second home notion would be a ruse for a totally commercial intent for the property. However, D.C. seems quite believable as a second home notion for D.C. Metro area residents and workers, which the applicant cited himself as.

County Planner Kelly Wahl and Zoning Administrator Chase Lenz handled the staff presentations on the three Short-term Tourist Rental permitting applications. All three were approved.

The other two Short-term Tourist Rental CUP applications, also for R-1 zoned properties, were presented by County Planner Kelly Wahl. They were:

Caroline Hersh & Brian Stechschulte for a property located at 289 Catron Ridge Road in the Thompson Hollow Acres subdivision in the South River Magisterial District. Hersh was present for the applicants to respond to any questions from the board or the public;

John Myers & Helen Park for a property located at 557 Drummer Hill Road in the Shenandoah Farms – Mountain Lake subdivision in the Shenandoah Magisterial District. The Drummer Hill Road applicants were not present, leaving staff to respond to any questions from the board.

As noted above, these two Short-term Rental CUP applications were both approved by 5-0 votes, the first, Catron Ridge Road on a motion by “Jay” Butler, second Jamieson, and the Drummer Hill Road on a motion by John Stanmeyer, second Butler.

The final of the four public hearings was approval of a lease agreement for Hangar A10 at the County’s Front Royal Airport (FRR) to William Barse. Deputy County Administrator Jane Meadows presented the staff summary of the lease at $350 a month as the typical price on the majority of recent lease submissions or renewals. This FRR lease agreement brought the lone public comment of the four public hearings of the evening.

Andrew Heymann, who was one of two Public Concerns on non-agenda items speakers earlier in the meeting, asked if the local airport lease agreement had restrictions on the storage of hazardous materials in the hangars. After Meadows deferred to County legal staff, some quick online research by County Attorney Jason Ham verified that such restrictions were part of FRR’s leasing conditions. And on a motion by Jamieson, second Butler, a 5-0 vote of approval was secured on the Hangar A10 lease to William Barse.

From there, it was a quick 5-0 approval of the seven-item Consent Agenda on a motion by Jamieson, second Stanmeyer. See those seven Consent Agenda items listed below at end of article.

See all the meetings discussions, votes, board and staff reports, and Public Concerns Comments from two South River District speakers, Andrew Heymann (2:20 video mark) and John Jenkins (3:55 video mark), in the County video.

Of note during staff reports was County Administrator Ed Daley’s introduction of County IT Director Todd Jones to address an issue with the ability of citizens to pay county taxes online, it appeared due to operational issues with contractors. See Jones address this issue and potential resolutions and current impacts beginning at the 22:10 video mark.

IT Director Todd Jones, at podium, summarized contractor issues with online tax payments offered by the County on its website and his department and the County’s path forward in restoring all payment options for citizens.

As to non-agenda item concerns, Heymann initially referenced a meeting with Planning Director Matt Wendling and Chairman Cullers earlier that day on the issue of the naming of an accessway to his property that he addressed at a previous board meeting over concerns of emerging thru traffic. Moving on, Heymann then suggested the board and staff look into potential assistance from a Winchester office of the Transatlantic Division of the Corps of Engineers (Army) in design of the proposed Training/Shooting Range for the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.

Next up was Jenkins. After admitting to unfamiliarity with County procedural processes, Jenkins then addressed the board on his perception of a procedural inconsistency in the way the Sheriff’s Office Training/Shooting Range topic was brought to a June 12 Planning Commission meeting and how subsequent movement on the matter has occurred or been advertised.

South River District resident John Jenkins appeared to take a procedural shot in asserting something improper may have occurred in moving the WCSO Training/Shooting Range proposal forward to the supervisors from the planning commission level.

Following the Public Hearings and Consent Agenda approvals, with no “Additional New Business” submitted the meeting was adjourned at 8 p.m.

Consent Agenda Oct. 1, 2024

1. Authorization to Advertise for Public Hearing – CUP2024-09-01 – Jennifer Wynn (Beau Whiteman & Jerry Morant) – A request for a conditional use permit for a Short-Term Tourist Rental. The property is located at 198 Sunrise Lane and is identified on tax map 27D, section 3, as lot G. The property is zoned Residential-One (R-1) and is located in the Junewood Estates subdivision in the Fork Magisterial District. – Chase Lenz, Zoning Administrator
2. Authorization to Advertise for Public Hearing – CUP2024-09-02- Balachander Rajasekaran – A request for a conditional use permit for a Short-Term Tourist Rental. The property is located at 377 Avalon Drive and is identified on tax map 20C, section 1, block 2, as lot 21. The property is zoned Residential-One (R-1) and is located in the Shenandoah River Estates subdivision in the Shenandoah Magisterial District. – Chase Lenz, Zoning Administrator
3. Approval of 2025 Pay and Holiday Calendar – Kayla Darr, Human Resources Manager
4. Extension Request for CUP2021-10-01 – Carl & Jennifer Ey – Rural Events Facility – Kelly Wahl , Planner
5. Additional Appropriation – Warren County Public Schools – Safety and Security Grant – Christopher Ballenger
6. Request for Town of Front Royal Public Sewer and Water for Interstate 66 Industrial Park – Equus Development LP – Matt Wendling, Planning Director
7. Use of Courthouse Grounds – Little Chapel Baptist Church