[0:27] Good evening everyone. We will reconvene
our board of supervisors meeting today.
[0:34] And tonight on the agenda, we have two
public hearings. That is item 16 and 17.
[0:41] On the agenda, we will uh open these
public hearings. So if you wish to
[0:46] speak, please submit a uh form. You can
find these in the back and Celeste will
[0:52] be happy to take those for you. Um the
first one, item 16, we will go ahead and
[0:57] to begin. I will invite Mr. McCoy
up to share with us the details of this
[1:05] proposal.
[1:17] All right. Good evening, Madam Chair,
members of the board. Before you tonight
[1:21] is a request for a special exception
permit for a cabin or cottage resort in
[1:27] the Amsterdam district. Before I get
started, I'll read the legal
[1:30] advertisement for the record. The answer
in district Peak Vista Properties LLC
[1:34] requests a special exception permit for
a cabin or cottage resort on a 13.9 acre
[1:39] portion of three combined parcels
totaling 110.147
[1:43] acres in the agricultural A1 use
district with possible conditions. This
[1:47] parcel is located at 365 Shauny Trail
identified on the tax map as 88-9,
[1:53] 88-17,
and 88-18B.
[1:58] Flip the slide on me real quick there. I
think I remembered the last one. So
[2:02] before you on the screen is a zoning
map. The parcels in question are
[2:06] outlined in red. Um you'll see the green
uh color there is all A1 zoning. You've
[2:12] got some rural residential zoning in
gray. You'll notice the proximity to the
[2:17] Ram district very near to where we are
tonight. That's the Greenfield
[2:21] Industrial Center. And you'll see just a
hair of flood plane on parcel 88-17.
[2:27] On the back end of that parcel, there is
a small stream that runs in there with
[2:31] plane.
[2:34] » This uh is an aerial of the property
seen here off Shaunie Trail. Um it's a
[2:40] hilly property. It's an active farm use
right now. You'll see the three parcels
[2:44] and a small drive access that goes to a
barn that's standing today. Um it is an
[2:49] active farm use as I mentioned.
[2:53] Um the applicant wishes to operate a
cabin cottage resort. So what that means
[2:58] is you'll see in the bottom right of
this picture here the conceptual site
[3:02] plan uh six units with two bedrooms each
uh for short-term rental. Um so there is
[3:08] a drive access that provides uh parking
as well as access into the property
[3:12] itself. He is combining the three
parcels into two and basically removing
[3:18] the back end of those long skinny lots
and combining it into the larger parcel.
[3:22] The applicant has also included um some
conceptual designs of the property uh at
[3:27] large. He is intending to operate it uh
in agricultural use as he does today,
[3:33] but then also offer the cabins up for
rental on a short-term basis. Um, it's
[3:37] intended to provide kind of a a rural
escape for folks that don't always have
[3:41] the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors
like we do today. Um, and bring them
[3:45] onto the property to experience the farm
life as well.
[3:50] This is a zoomed in version of it. Um,
so as I mentioned, there's six units of
[3:54] two bedrooms each. You'll see the
hatched lines on there represent the um,
[3:58] septic fields. There are three fields
for six cabins. He's also included um
[4:04] the proposed pond and water feature
there as well as the access drive. This
[4:07] is off of Shauny Trail just before you
get into a curve. The uh speed limit on
[4:12] Shauny Trail is 35 and I believe as you
get into the curve it drops down to 25
[4:17] is the suggested speed there.
[4:22] The applicant submitted some photos and
wanted to just show those on the screen
[4:26] for you. Um this is the property uh as
it exists just a couple weeks ago. um
[4:30] showing the proposed access to the
property in those two middle photos and
[4:34] the curve that exists to the right as
you pass the property itself. He's also
[4:38] included some photos of the property in
active a use.
[4:44] So this table here shows the conditions
that are both required by the ordinance.
[4:48] So even if staff does not suggest any
conditions at all, if the planning
[4:52] commission had never recommended any
conditions, if approved, the applicant
[4:56] would have to do these required by
ordinance on the left. So there are four
[5:00] there. There are also four conditions
that were recommended by the planning
[5:04] commission if the um SCP is granted. So
those one suggested by staff is that
[5:10] there shall be no more than six
two-bedroom cottages on the property.
[5:14] Per our zoning code, the applicant can
do one unit per acre. So, he could
[5:19] technically go up to 13 acres there. He
is capping it or wishes to cap it at
[5:23] six. Uh the development of the property
shall be undertaken in substantial
[5:27] conformance with that conceptual site
plan that you all saw. We have a
[5:31] catchall here too and our generic kind
of uh condition that we include with all
[5:35] SCPs is that the noise generated by the
development shall not violate provisions
[5:39] of the Bottom County noise ordinance and
that all of those specifications and
[5:43] general provisions shall be met as
required by the the zoning ordinance.
[5:49] So the requested action from you all
this evening is to approve or deny the
[5:54] cabin or cottage resort on the property
of Peak Vistas LLC. If you have any
[5:59] questions for me, I'd be happy to answer
them. The applicant is also here tonight
[6:03] and would be happy to expand on anything
I may have missed.
[6:09] » Thank you. Any questions for Mr. McCoy?
I
[6:12] » have one. [clears throat] And that the
code specifies two adults per bedroom.
[6:17] [snorts]
Um, but I didn't find anything that
[6:20] addresses children.
>> Sure. So, I believe that piece of the
[6:24] code um is a reflection of the health
department kind of ordinances when it
[6:29] comes to septic fields and how many
folks can be in a bedroom to maintain um
[6:33] the appropriate draining of the septic
tank. We don't have anything about
[6:37] children and I wouldn't be able to tell
you if they have any different um
[6:42] bathroom tendencies than adults. uh
tongue and cheek, but um if you have
[6:47] some concerns about that, that is what
is in the ordinance and we could explore
[6:51] maybe a different condition if you'd
like. Um however, I think this probably
[6:55] captures what the concerns might be
there on the property, but we're happy
[6:58] to explore other options if you'd like.
Um, one other, uh, my sister and her
[7:06] husband whenever they retired, uh, they
bought themselves a 3/4tonon pickup and
[7:13] a fifth wheel trailer. And I see in here
that trailers would be prohibited. And I
[7:20] can picture my sister and her husband
going to something like this as they
[7:26] were traveling around.
um this cast in stone on the the use of
[7:33] trailers or is it just that you can't
use uh you know like they use the term
[7:39] dry camping?
>> Mhm.
[7:42] » Yeah, the applicant um made that
statement at the planning commission
[7:45] meeting. That is not a condition that's
included um with the recommendations
[7:50] from planning commission. Um, so whether
the applicant said it or did not say it,
[7:54] he's not held to that by our zoning
ordinance or the conditions placed on it
[7:58] right now. If you wanted to see some
greater um condition in there that would
[8:03] prohibit or otherwise speak to travel
trailers or RVs to a certain degree
[8:08] there parked in the property, um, we
would have to come up with a condition
[8:11] there. Um, that's that's kind of what
we're looking at right now. I think his
[8:16] his parking is designed to have two
spaces per unit and right now they're
[8:20] probably not shown to have um the
capacity to store an RV or another
[8:25] travel trailer of some sort there. Um
we've not gotten into that much detail
[8:30] as to the size of those parking spaces
and that's probably something we would
[8:34] look at when it comes to the actual
submitt of um building permits. Um but
[8:39] as of right now there's nothing holding
the applicant to not having those travel
[8:42] trailers or RVs on the property. Thank
you. Absolutely.
[8:46] » So it with that question, maybe we could
ask the applicant to come up and and
[8:51] share their um thoughts on this project.
[9:00] That would be probably a good question
for them. We'll ask them directly about
[9:04] that.
>> Thank you.
[9:16] Hi.
>> Hello.
[9:18] Um,
wanted to start off with um, the Bush
[9:25] family owned this farm since the 60s and
uh, they rented to a couple farmers when
[9:30] I purchased it in 23. They decided to
sell it and it sat on the market for two
[9:35] years. Um,
and it was actually under contract, I
[9:40] think, for about a year, according to
um, the Bush family, and developers were
[9:44] attempting to develop it and put 161
homes, um, on it, and I guess they
[9:49] couldn't get access for sewer or water.
I'm not sure which, maybe both. Um, and
[9:56] so, um, I purchased the farm under my
LLC in 2023, and we, our intention has
[10:03] been to farm since the beginning. We
have over about 70 head of cattle, about
[10:08] 50 head of sheep that all are in one
pasture or excuse me, one uh paddic and
[10:15] they do that of course in in nature to
protect themselves and they move
[10:18] themselves to a new pasture and and um
and obviously spreading it uh the manure
[10:25] and the fertilizer all throughout the
farm. And we control the uh farming with
[10:29] portable electric fencing to keep them
out of the waterways, keep it
[10:34] sustainable. Um and then of course you
saw the chickens on one of those
[10:38] pictures. People like uh you have
chickens out on a mo chicken mobile. Uh
[10:42] that's our pasture sanitization program
actually. Uh that is cleaning up the
[10:47] pastures. Um they do produce a really
good egg also. But um they uh do
[10:53] actually clean up they follow the cows
about 3 to 4 days intentionally to clean
[10:57] up the pastures. And um we do want to be
selling um
[11:03] u honey and other farm products uh from
the farm under the a uh program. And
[11:09] we've applied for the cabin cottage
resort which it does have a maximum
[11:13] density of one dwelling per acre. Uh we
intentionally only wanted six. Um even
[11:19] though I think the experts, architects
and consultants were saying you could
[11:24] get 13 or we have 110 acres altogether.
We could technically do the whole farm,
[11:29] right? Do 110, but we don't want to. Our
intention is to actually build on the
[11:32] farm. Um on that map, um it does have I
might be going back there. Out here is a
[11:40] proposed uh future residence that we're
going to be living there. So, we really
[11:43] don't want 100 uh homes right,
short-term rentals next to our own
[11:48] residence as well. Um, so neighbors have
raised concerns um about the current the
[11:55] entrance uh which we hired Pearson
Engineering and Surveying who I think
[12:00] has been working in the county for 30
years um recommended that location given
[12:05] that it has 385 ft of sight distance
both ways. Um, if V dot is obviously
[12:13] ultimately the one that would approve
that. If V dot says that is not a go,
[12:20] then obviously we would look at plan B
and C, which we clearly have um 500 ft
[12:27] of sight distance all along Shauny Trail
just be a longer driveway. Um so um and
[12:34] a lot of people have con expressed
concerns about traffic. Um the average
[12:39] occupancy for short-term rentals across
the nation is about 50%. Um so meaning
[12:44] that 50% of the time they're vacant.
There's no one in them. There's no cars
[12:48] coming and going. They're not going to
the store. They're not there. So that
[12:54] means we're really almost asking for
three two-bedroom homes. Um technically
[13:00] uh right there along Shauny Trail and
Country Club, it doesn't show it uh
[13:06] right there, but there's 3200 ft of
water or excuse me of road frontage. Um
[13:12] that we could subdivide 21 times and put
septics and wells and build 21 homes. We
[13:18] have no intention to do that. Um so
we're trying to keep it contained into a
[13:23] small area. Um the pictures don't
indicate that there's actually cedar
[13:29] trees that are protecting most of the
cottages that would be built for
[13:33] privacy, not just for people driving by,
but the guests as well. And so that was
[13:39] really the main reason. Um there's not a
lot of hover on the farm. It's very open
[13:45] uh along Country Club and Shauny Trail.
So
[13:50] um we have um named the cottages the
farmhouse cottages and actually
[13:56] purchased a domain farmhouse
cottages.com
[13:59] and going with a theme of the farmhouse
look and cottage style. Classy, it's
[14:07] elegant and it's timeless. Doesn't go
away. Um the farmhouse right down the
[14:12] street's up for sale. I think it's built
in the 1810s and it's still beautiful.
[14:16] So, um, obviously these cottages
generate short-term rental sales tax
[14:21] revenue for the county and the dollars
that guests spend have an even larger
[14:26] impact on the small businesses that they
do patronize. Um, we currently have
[14:32] seven non-family employees that help on
the farm and also help maintain the
[14:37] properties. Um, four of them actually
live within 2,000 ft of the cottage
[14:43] entrance. So, we're able to attend to
maintenance issues or complaints about
[14:48] noise or whatever could be going on. Um
there was a concern about travel
[14:55] trailers or RVs uh that was brought up
at the last meeting and this one as
[15:01] well. And we will not allow them. Um
just because well a we don't want the uh
[15:08] there's there's a lot of reasons why.
Let's just say we're not going to allow
[15:11] them. There's not a lot of room there.
It's a ridge. Um and so um and honestly
[15:18] we have another Airbnb down the road. Uh
we've had that question come up and um
[15:26] but it's it's been very rare honestly.
Most of the people are going to stay in
[15:30] a nice home that's heated and cooled and
not you know towing their their fifth
[15:36] wheel there. So, um, but we, um, do want
to, of course, uh, thank the neighbors
[15:45] who've been encouraging us and ob
obviously very nice about telling us to
[15:50] continue to farm. That's our intention.
Um, it's also going to be a place where
[15:55] we can uh some of the trainings that we
will do on the other parcels to teach
[16:00] people how to do this kind of farming
because it is different.
[16:03] um I had have been taught this and spent
thousands of dollars going to other
[16:07] farms across the country to learn how to
do it and so uh we want that for them to
[16:13] be able to stay on the farm and
experience the farm um right here where
[16:18] they can walk over and experience it.
So, we hope to uh create a wonderful
[16:24] experience for our guests who stay at
the farmhouse cottages regardless of
[16:28] visiting family or anniversary or a
wedding, which we've had that all happen
[16:32] at our other short-term rental, which is
at 32 country club. Um be surprised how
[16:38] many people actually come just to stay
in beautiful Bonat. So, um
[16:44] do you guys have any other questions?
>> You any questions for the applicant?
[16:50] So, I I would just want to uh expand a
little bit. You said that your intention
[16:54] is to keep this as a working farm.
>> That's correct.
[16:58] » Um and then hopefully some of your
guests might be interested in learning
[17:03] some of the techniques that you're
using.
[17:05] » Um do you have any other plans? You have
cows, you have sheep, you have chickens.
[17:10] Any other um farming endeavors that
you're considering?
[17:13] » Uh bees. So, we actually have an intern
that's uh developed that on other farms
[17:19] and so he's already done it a few times
and so that obviously you can't do it
[17:23] this time of year. So, um that'll be
springtime when that comes and then um
[17:30] so if you want to come get stung, we'll
charge you $25 per beasting. Um that's
[17:36] quite an experience. Um no, so then we
also do want to have some green houses.
[17:41] um maybe not necessarily on this parcel,
the 13 acres, but on the larger parcel
[17:46] uh green houses where we'll, you know,
have some fruits and vegetables and that
[17:49] sort of thing as well, but that's all
maybe we'll have, you know, chickens,
[17:54] but all the meat is processed through a
USDA uh facility, right? It's not
[17:58] processed on the farm. So, it's driven
all the way to the USA facility,
[18:04] packaged and labeled with a little
stamp, and then brought back and then
[18:07] either would be sold locally at the farm
store or shipped. So,
[18:12] » fantastic. Thank you.
>> You're welcome.
[18:15] » Other questions?
>> Okay. Thank you. We will open the public
[18:20] hearing at this time. I have some
requests for um speaking. So, the public
[18:28] hearing is now open. I do want to note
for the minutes uh and for the official
[18:35] record, Supervisor Clinton joined us
earlier today via um remote access. He
[18:43] is uh not feeling well and uh was with
us for the earlier part of our meeting
[18:50] today. He is not online tonight. So, he
will not be part of these public
[18:55] hearings and these board actions. So, I
just wanted to clarify that before we
[19:00] got started. So, the first public
comment that I have listed, Greg Riley,
[19:11] » speaking this one, right?
>> Speak into any microphone. If you're
[19:14] speaking, please say your name, your
address, and you have three minutes for
[19:19] comment. Okay. My name is Greg Riley. I
live at 588 Country Club Road,
[19:24] Troutville.
You know, all of this sounds wonderful.
[19:28] Bees, honey, cattle, sheep, quaint
little country store, maybe a nice
[19:34] little uh rental cottages. But as an
adjoining property owner, I've been
[19:38] receiving these registered letters um
for months about this proposed
[19:43] development. I decided to come to the
last planning commission meeting and
[19:46] find out more about it. The reason I
hadn't gotten involved earlier that like
[19:50] most of my neighbors, I thought it
sounded like a pretty cool idea. A few
[19:53] rental cabins and quaint little country
getaway and things like that sound like
[19:57] a nice idea. But after digging in, I
found out that some people had been told
[20:03] different things uh in addition to the
rental cottage, maybe a a meat packing
[20:07] plant or something, another good thing
for the community and for the farmers in
[20:11] Batide. But then at the end of the
meeting, the elephant in the room came
[20:15] out that if this is not profitable in a
few years, we have the ability to put
[20:20] apartments here if it was not
profitable. Well, anybody can tell you
[20:25] that a few cottages rental a rural
getaway in right over the hill from a
[20:33] noisy data center that is going to be an
asphalt and concrete jungle for several
[20:37] years is probably not going to be as
profitable as apartments. So it's very
[20:42] easy to set a precedent and come back in
and say, "Okay, I'm not making enough
[20:46] money." And we have seen the same
pattern with other developers before. So
[20:51] it makes perfect sense for them to come
back in and say, "Hey, I'm not making
[20:55] enough money here." And so what's going
to happen? Again, the elephant in the
[21:01] room is apartments, apartments,
apartments. And I remember talking to
[21:05] Mr. Clinton a few years ago and he said,
"When we approved Ashley Plantation, we
[21:11] never dreamed that it would turn into
this." And I would just like to say that
[21:15] the planning commission often gets out
in front of the board
[21:20] in how they approve different things. I
would like to thank the board because in
[21:25] the years that I've observed the board,
you've always taken a cautious and
[21:28] fastidious approach in these things. Of
course, apartments are here to make
[21:33] money. So, let's just be honest about
what's coming in a few years or six
[21:38] months or whatever.
I would like to ask that you table this
[21:44] project until more questions can be
asked and more information can be
[21:48] obtained. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Next comment is Carl Porter.
[22:01] I'm Carl Porter, 592 Country Club Road.
What concerns me is what will be the
[22:07] special exemption for the next phase and
then the next phase. I believe special
[22:13] exemptions should be a rare occurrence
considering the time, energy, and money,
[22:18] taxpayer money that was used to create
the comprehensive plan and future land
[22:23] use. [snorts]
[22:29] Thank you, Jerry Riley.
[22:42] Hello, [clears throat] my name is Jerry
Riley. Live in the Fin Castle District
[22:48] on Country Club Road.
Mainly, I came here to get information.
[22:53] There's been a lot of rumor going around
about this project and very little
[23:00] facts.
I came here hoping to get more facts and
[23:05] honestly I haven't. There seems to be a
lot of questions and
[23:12] for one I see that it's approved one
septic for each two cottages instead of
[23:19] one septic for each dwelling. And
there's also two adults per bedroom.
[23:25] That's four adults per septic system. So
I think that that needs to be relooked
[23:33] at. Also,
um, at the very end of his talk, out of
[23:41] just a little slight
comment, there was a mention of a farm
[23:46] store. I hadn't heard anything about a
farm store before. Have y'all heard
[23:50] about a farm store? If you have, how
come we haven't heard about it? What
[23:54] does that entail? So, I think if there
is a farm store planned, it should be
[23:58] brought up and talked about separately.
If there's no farm store, then let's
[24:03] settle that right now and say no,
there's not going to be a farm store
[24:07] there.
Then the last thing, and has been
[24:11] mentioned before, the elephant in the
room, apartments. Where did that come
[24:15] from? I heard no mention of apartments
before, so why is it being brought up
[24:20] now?
I think there's a lot of questions about
[24:23] this project that need to be answered
and a lot more work needs to be done and
[24:29] a lot more public information given out
to the residents before you approve
[24:34] something of this nature. Thank you for
your time.
[24:37] » Thank you,
[24:40] » Sharon Porter.
[24:49] Sharon Porter, 592 Country Club Road,
Fincastle District. My request is
[24:55] simple. It's punctuation.
So, there's a comma after cottage. So,
[25:02] we were It looks like it's a cottage
resort. Is it a cabin or a cottage or a
[25:08] resort? Or is it a cottage resort?
There's a big difference between a
[25:13] resort and a cottage. So, I guess I need
to remove that comma and say it's a
[25:20] cottage resort. A resort is of course
it's a it's a let's see a resort is a um
[25:30] all it's a comprehensive experience
which includes shopping, restaurants,
[25:33] and entertainment. So, I don't think
we're talking about a resort. So, if
[25:37] it's a cottage resort, then just say
it's a cottage resort. So, the planning
[25:41] commission has recommended six
two-bedroom cottages. If this is
[25:46] approved, just remove that comma and so
we don't make sure that it's not a
[25:51] resort. Thank you.
>> Thank you,
[25:57] Charles Glatty.
[26:03] » Glad you I'm sorry.
You may have heard that before.
[26:08] » [laughter]
>> Thanks, Gladoo.
[26:13] My name is Ah, sorry. My name is Charles
Gladia. I live at uh
[26:19] 803 Shauny Trails, just down from this.
I drive by it every day. I was seriously
[26:25] worried
years ago when they started there. The
[26:29] previous
attempt at buying this was
[26:34] conditional on another special exemption
from the board. Didn't have to come to
[26:40] that because they declined because some
of the property owners between them and
[26:45] where they were going to have to access
water and sewer were going to fight them
[26:49] and they didn't feel like fighting it.
I'm all for Mr. Bowen's attempt at
[26:55] trying to keep it a farm. He's had a
farm before. I think he wants to make
[26:59] this a farm. He is a businessman. He's
trying to make a profit. I understand
[27:03] that. I agree with one of these
gentlemen here that said we taxpayers
[27:08] have spent money for this comprehensive
plan and so forth and so on. And I can
[27:14] go into a litany of things including the
Bailey property that oh well it's
[27:18] adjacent to the Daleville Town Center,
so we'll just let it be a pud, too.
[27:25] Guys, if you're going to spend the money
on the comprehensive plans,
[27:31] please use the special exemptions
judiciously.
[27:37] The um
Wawwa that's going in now, special
[27:42] exemption. I had a lady on the board
say, "Well, it's not our job to tell us
[27:47] to tell people who can build there and
so forth." Well, when the propertyy's
[27:50] there and it has conditions or the land
use has conditions and somebody comes to
[27:57] you and you give them special
exemptions, you are picking who's going
[28:02] to use it because maybe somebody else
would have used it if they could have
[28:05] had special things. But Wawwa wasn't
going to do it if they didn't get access
[28:10] to Glee Road and Tighter Dimensions so
forth to put their charging units. I've
[28:17] been to a lot of y'all's meetings and I
agree with this gentleman on the special
[28:24] exemptions being overused.
And yes, once you start down the road,
[28:29] is this going to be an additional
special exemption? I've only known Mr.
[28:34] Bowen for about a year. I think I like
him.
[28:40] I don't know him well enough. We don't
have a history to where I trust him
[28:44] with, you know, this, that, or the
other. But I've helped him out. He's
[28:48] helped me out. I like him. I take him at
his word what he's saying. And I think
[28:54] he wants the the farm store, as I
understand it from a previous meeting,
[28:58] that can be done on any farm. It doesn't
require special permission or anything.
[29:04] So my whole thing is
even if you, and I hope you do, allow
[29:09] this to go forward. I'd kind of like to
see where it goes. But please guard
[29:15] those special exemptions and realize
what you're starting a road down if you
[29:21] incrementally just allow all the A1 to
start becoming everything else.
[29:28] » Thank you. Would anyone else like to
comment on this proposal?
[29:37] Seeing and hearing no one, I will close
the public hearing and um open this up
[29:44] to the board for discussion and
questions.
[29:48] » Madam Chair, I was wondering if you
could come back down answer some of the
[29:51] things about
>> Yeah, that's what I was going to if Mr.
[29:53] McCoy could come first. I think um a
couple things might be clarified. Uh Mr.
[29:59] McCoy, could you first address the comma
issue? Uh is this as as written cabin
[30:06] comm or cottage comma resort comma on
the property? Is that correct?
[30:12] » Yes ma'am.
>> And does that does that use
[30:16] allow the definition that we just heard
of resort?
[30:20] » Yes to both. So cabin or cottage, resort
is the exact name in the ordinance. So
[30:25] we don't try to hide or offiscate what
the terms are. I use the exact term from
[30:29] the ordinance when somebody applies for
it. and that is what's in the the uh the
[30:33] advertisement as well. Um the use that
you were considering tonight falls very
[30:38] nicely into that use definition.
>> Okay.
[30:40] » So, it is a cabin or cottage common
resort. I'll agree it's not a great
[30:44] name. We would have to do a text
amendment to change that name.
[30:47] » We're not doing that tonight, but yes,
it is a cabin or cottage resort that Mr.
[30:51] Bowen has requested and it does fall
underneath that definition.
[30:54] » Okay. But [clears throat] the use would
be um
[30:58] defined as what was presented tonight.
Correct.
[31:02] » Um the other question I I thought of to
ask you
[31:08] if five years he decides he wants
apartments that use that word has come
[31:13] up several times. What would be required
for apartments to be built on this
[31:18] property?
>> Apartments cannot be built on this
[31:21] property just full stop without a
reasonzoning to R3 or R4 and access to
[31:26] public water or sewer. There is no
public water or sewer here. It is not
[31:30] being reszoned to R4. Therefore, no
apartments can be built on this property
[31:34] now or in the future without the board
approval to do so.
[31:39] » And that's a reasonzoning, not a special
exception.
[31:41] » Correct.
>> So, just to clarify that process. Other
[31:46] questions for Mr. McCoy?
>> The septics have been approved by health
[31:51] department.
>> The health department has reviewed this
[31:53] application, has indicated that these
are suitable for the use as Mr. Bowen
[31:57] has described and do not have issues
with the use as presented to the board.
[32:02] » Very good.
>> They have done as soil um they've done
[32:05] soil analysis to make sure that it would
meet the requirements of the Virginia
[32:08] Department of Health and that has been
already um tested and and looked at by
[32:13] the Department of Health.
>> Okay. Thank you.
[32:16] » One other note too, the the and this did
come up in the planning commission and
[32:20] one that I failed to bring up earlier
tonight. The farm store, if there were
[32:24] to be a farm store, is separate from
this special exception permit. The
[32:27] special exception permit has nothing to
do with the farm store in any way,
[32:29] shape, or form. Mr. Bowen, um, as the
owner and operator of an a use on a
[32:36] agriculturally zoned piece of property,
could potentially do a farm stand there
[32:40] that may be permitted by state code, and
it pre preempts us from requiring him to
[32:46] do a special exception permit to do so.
Um, Mr. Bowen, whether he does one or
[32:50] not, this is not related to the Cavern
Cottages. And regardless of whether he
[32:55] came before you tonight in any way,
shape, or form, he could potentially
[32:58] have done that without our approval in
any way, shape, or form. So, I just
[33:02] wanted that to be clear as well that
this use in front of you has nothing to
[33:05] do with the rest of his property.
>> Thank you.
[33:09] » Very good. Other questions,
[33:15] comments?
[33:20] Hearing none, I will entertain a motion.
There are, if we could go back to the
[33:26] options that
>> presentation. Yeah,
[33:31] » the options for motions are before you.
[33:38] » Most before you. Getting there.
[33:53] So, I would entertain a motion of
approval or to deny.
[34:02] I'll move to approve the special
exception permit for the cabin or
[34:06] cottage resort on the property of Peak
Vista as recommended by the planning
[34:12] commission.
>> So we have a motion to approve. Do I
[34:17] have a second?
>> I have a second. Any [clears throat]
[34:20] discussion?
[34:24] » I think that this is a good thing. It's
low volume traffic. uh
[34:30] in the A1 with remaining properties out
there. Uh I think it's a little over 100
[34:35] acres
or that that could result in 40 plus
[34:40] houses big lot with well and septic.
I I'd much rather see this in the farm
[34:47] continue.
>> I I would agree with Supervisor Nicely.
[34:53] I think that um there's obviously
interest in this county of preserving
[34:59] our farmland and keeping it in
agriculture. That doesn't always pay the
[35:03] bills. And this is a way to allow this
owner to supplement the income but keep
[35:10] the majority of the property in
agriculture, true agricultural use. I
[35:16] think that it is uh a good uh endeavor
to for him to support his farming habit
[35:24] this way. So I would support it for
those reasons as well. Supervisor
[35:29] nicely.
Other comments?
[35:34] Nope.
>> All in favor?
[35:37] » I I
>> All opposed.
[35:42] Any abstensions?
[35:46] That motion carries.
[35:55] » Yeah. Do you want to do a voice vote?
Okay. Would you do a voice vote, please?
[36:00] Yes. A roll call.
>> Yes.
[36:03] » Yes.
>> Yes. Yes.
[36:08] » That motion carries. Again, I think we
can celebrate that this land is going to
[36:14] remain in agricultural use. So, we will
move on now to agenda item 17,
[36:23] the valley district.
Mr. Lindsay is going to present this
[36:27] one.
[36:52] We're getting there.
[37:00] There we go.
[37:14] Maybe.
[37:19] All right. There we go. Good evening,
Madam Chair, members of the board. Um,
[37:23] I'm here to prevent to present uh the
reasonzoning request from Journey Church
[37:27] and Journey Church, Inc. They are
requesting a reszoning from the
[37:31] agricultural A1 and residential R1 use
to residential R3 use district with
[37:36] possible proper conditions and a
commission permit in accordance with
[37:40] 15.2-2232
of the Virginia state code. These
[37:45] properties are located at, between, and
adjacent to 3574 Reed Mountain Road and
[37:50] 3468 Reed Mountain Road and at the Reed
Mountain Road State Route 654 and Bonny
[37:56] View Lane intersection identified on the
tax map as 107-91
[38:01] 199, 107-201,
107-202,
[38:06] 107 C15,
and 107 C11.
[38:12] As you can see here, um the largest of
the five parcels is zoned uh A1
[38:18] currently with the remaining four being
zoned R1. Um as I stated, Journey Church
[38:25] and Journey Church, Inc. are requesting
a reszoning of this 12.37 acres from A1
[38:30] and R1 to R3. Um the applicant has
indicated that the proposed development
[38:36] includes the construction of 72
residences as well as new streets and
[38:39] sidewalks to serve the neighborhood. Um
the proposed community per the applicant
[38:44] is proposed to address a shortage of
housing for those looking to downsize
[38:47] such as retirees and empty nesters. Um
as you can see here there are a few
[38:52] existing uh structures on the property.
Uh the former Journey Church location
[38:56] there on the north side of the property
as well as an existing single family
[39:00] home to the south.
Um, in addition to the 72 residences,
[39:05] which you will see here, um, the site
will include a 10-ft vegetative buffer
[39:10] along Reed Mountain Road and along the
north and south sides of the property,
[39:14] as you can see here, bringing the, uh,
property. Uh, this buffer will include a
[39:18] mix of evergreen and deciduous trees,
um, as well as a fence between the
[39:22] property on between that and lot 60. Um
the site has been updated since the
[39:28] initial hearing to also include the
potential uh to turn around for school
[39:32] buses that you can see in the culde-sac
on the west side of the property and the
[39:37] turnaround at the south side of the
property. Um as well as uh some
[39:42] additional storm water management on the
north end of the property.
[39:46] Um, as it stands, the Bodak County
zoning ordinance does not prevent the
[39:50] construction of single family attached
homes by right in A1 or R1. Um, the
[39:56] density proposed in this application uh
is 5.8 units per acre, which should not
[40:02] be allowed in either zoning district.
Um, however, reszoning this to R3 would
[40:06] allow for this type of development.
Um, in the comprehensive plan, this area
[40:11] is um
looked at as um,
[40:17] sorry, I lost my place,
medium density. Correct. Um, this is in
[40:22] line with the development along this
stretch of Reed Mountain Road. Um, so in
[40:28] terms of traffic, uh, Reed Mountain Road
has a average daily traffic volume of
[40:33] 9,800 cars. Um Bonnie View Lane does not
report any um as this is a private
[40:39] street. Uh since 2016, there have been
seven crashes in the vicinity. U most of
[40:44] these being minor uh and deer strikes.
Um this is lower, it's important to
[40:50] note, than uh other portions of Reed
Mountain Road. Um, it's also important
[40:54] to note that nearby Cloverdale Road and
Reed Mountain Road intersections have
[40:58] been identified as a high crash location
with uh state studies looking into
[41:02] recommendations to improve that
intersection. Um, in terms of utilities,
[41:07] uh, the site is served by public water
and sewer, public water being served by
[41:10] Aqua Virginia and sewer being provided
by West Virginia Water Authority. Um,
[41:16] since the first hearing, we have
received some public comment, uh,
[41:20] including concerns regarding access
along Boniview Lane. Um, concerns
[41:24] regarding the buffer between the
proposed development and existing
[41:28] houses, as well as water supply, um,
being served by a well. Um, however, as
[41:36] I stated before, um, the applicant does
not intend to use Bonaview Lane as an
[41:41] access point. Um, and there have been
additional buffers between existing
[41:45] homes in the proposed development and
water will be served by Aqua.
[41:53] As you can see on the board here, these
are the proper conditions uh that have
[41:57] been offered by the applicant. Um, the
first one being the propo property shall
[42:01] be developed in substantial conformance
with the concept plan which is showed on
[42:04] the previous page. Um, all residential
dwelling units shall be uh restricted in
[42:09] height to no more than two stories
excluding walkout basements. Uh, the
[42:12] development shall include a 10-ft buffer
with a mixture of evergreen and
[42:16] deciduous trees also shown in that
concept plan. And then the last one
[42:19] here, um, we have received this, so that
is not in your packet. Um, a privacy
[42:24] fence shall be erected along the
southern terminus of the access road
[42:28] near lot 60 as shown on the concept plan
to show Bonniew Lane from headlights of
[42:32] vehicles using the access road. Um, the
applicant is here, so if you have any
[42:38] questions, I'd be happy to answer those
as well as the applicant.
[42:42] » Thank you.
>> Absolutely.
[42:44] » I would invite the applicant down to
share your thoughts on this project.
[43:00] » Thanks.
>> Absolutely.
[43:02] Uh, Madame Chairman, members of the
board, I'm Dale Wilkinson. Uh, with me
[43:07] is Seth Wilkinson, another member of our
team, Bobby Wampler, who represents ECI,
[43:12] our consultant on this. Uh, I appreciate
the opportunity to talk to you tonight.
[43:19] I am a longtime Bat resident. I think
I've lived here 35 or 40 years. I live
[43:24] at 185 Park Drive in the Blue Ridge
area. Uh we uh want to make this clear.
[43:33] This has been a collaborative effort on
this.
[43:37] It's not just been our project. We have
walked this door to door, talked to
[43:41] neighbors who have made changes, talked
to planning commission members, members
[43:45] of this board that have inquired about
certain aspects of this. And we've
[43:49] revised our plan to try to make this
collaborative and make this something
[43:53] that in fact does fit in with the
comprehensive plan and the future land
[43:58] use which it does. That is a
deliberative process that does use
[44:04] taxpayer funds. It does take a lot of
time. It has a significant amount of
[44:11] public input, citizen input in planning
that. Uh I give credence to the planning
[44:17] department for their foresight and we
fully comply with the future land use
[44:22] plan. We uh it may be good Seth if we
can go through the proper conditions. We
[44:28] had a
[44:31] fairly simple
we are in will be uh developing this in
[44:38] substantial conformance with this
concept plan. uh
[44:44] will restrict the height on these. We
anticipate doing one-story uh villas
[44:49] rather than
uh certainly apartments. There it's
[44:54] worth noting uh I I'd like to bring up
the fact that uh there are places for
[44:59] apartments in
various localities. This is not one. Uh
[45:05] this is not maximizing the density on
that site. We have tried to be
[45:12] responsive to neighbors by undulating
these homes, these single family homes.
[45:19] Th this project is meeting what is
commonly referred to as the missing
[45:24] middle. And I I just like to stress to
the board the need for
[45:32] uh consideration of these kinds of
projects. We're doing a lot to bring in
[45:38] jobs and to keep folks that have lived
generations in Bodat County uh here and
[45:46] also to encourage workforce housing uh
where folks can can live in the
[45:51] community and contribute in the
community by ownership and this project
[45:56] will allow that and we we need to be
doing more of it. uh these will not be
[46:03] at uh
an extreme end of the price point. We're
[46:08] trying to make this where folks who are
contributing to this community can
[46:13] afford a home in Bodatat and u I think
we've succeeded in our plan in doing it.
[46:18] The the other um
point I want to bring up here on the
[46:24] profer conditions is point three. We had
a neighbor and planning commission
[46:29] member who was very interested in seeing
that the surrounding the perimeter of
[46:34] the property be fully landscaped in
deciduous trees. We've agreed to do
[46:39] that. And then we had a neighbor,
frankly, at the planning commission
[46:43] meeting that came up to me and said,
"Dale, can we can we get a fence? We
[46:46] don't want lights uh that might
interfere with our our lifestyle." And
[46:52] of course, we readily agreed to Mr.
Cooper and his and ask him to design it.
[46:57] Frankly, the uh the fence that will be
put up, we'll we'll also be um
[47:04] we'll also be constructing an entrance
uh that
[47:09] is uh not just signage, but it allows
you to see that you're coming into a
[47:15] neighborhood. you're coming into a
community with speed limits and the
[47:19] desire for for folks to slow down a bit
and be respectful of the uh the
[47:25] residents of the of the of the
neighborhood. So, u last item on the
[47:31] privacy. I'm rambling on a little bit.
Um I'd be happy to answer any questions
[47:35] you have. Uh
leave it at that.
[47:39] » Thank you. Any questions for the
applicant?
[47:42] » I have four.
>> Yes, sir. Um [clears throat] the first
[47:45] one will these be all single story?
>> Uh we have we have the right we'll show
[47:52] you a couple slides here Mr. uh
Michaels. Um,
[47:59] we plan for them all to be one-story
villas as shown in this plan, but we
[48:06] wanted to
provide ourselves the opportunity to
[48:13] undulate these homes and should the
market be two story that we have that
[48:19] option. Our plan at this point is to
keep the price point down and make them
[48:23] make them one story. But I understand
your position of
[48:29] needing to be very clear about this and
I I'd profer to you that it will be one
[48:36] of these two things. It could be a
twotory. Not likely, but it's possible.
[48:40] » Okay. Thank you.
>> Yes sir. Uh the second one
[48:45] uh do you have any feel for approximate
cost to the whoever purchased this for a
[48:51] single story or a twostory just a
ballpark?
[48:55] » Well, it's it's missing middle and I'm I
I my age is coming to me. I I can't for
[49:01] the life of me understand how folks pay
$2,000 a month for an apartment, but
[49:06] there's very little to buy in Bodatak
County for $2,000 a month on a mortgage
[49:10] payment. And you know, uh, we would hope
that these would fall down in what I
[49:16] consider to be a lot of money, but
probably in the $350,000
[49:19] range.
>> Okay. The reason for the question is
[49:24] there had been some talk whether this
would be what they're referring to as
[49:29] affordable housing or or not.
>> I have no idea really what that means. I
[49:33] I want it to be affordable for folks.
There's absolutely no subsidy or any uh
[49:39] monies coming for the financing from any
state or federal housing sources. Uh
[49:47] we expect them all to be homeowners that
are looking for a shot to live near
[49:55] their work or to retire and stay in
bottom.
[49:59] » Okay. Okay. Thank you.
>> Yes sir. Then the third one is uh who
[50:04] will be responsible for maintaining the
open areas?
[50:08] » There'll be [snorts] a um and there are
a number of extra open space areas there
[50:12] I might add but uh there'll be a
homeowners association. There will be
[50:16] covenants and restrictions that are put
in place uh that will cover the maint
[50:21] ongoing maintenance of this of the uh
all the public areas.
[50:26] » Okay. And u the last one will there be
any rental units? Not that I expect. No
[50:33] sir.
Thank you. Yes sir.
[50:39] » Other questions for the applicant
>> covered.
[50:44] » Questions
>> just on the square footage
[50:48] range square footage
>> uh 1,500 square feet to um 2,000.
[50:58] Thank you.
There are no other questions at this
[51:02] time. I will open the public hearing. Is
there anyone from the community that
[51:07] would like to comment on this proposed
project
[51:19] hearing? And seeing none, last call. I
will close the public hearing.
[51:26] and entertain discussion from the board.
>> Yeah, Madam Chair, long time ago, I had
[51:31] talked to we spoke some about the the
process of, you know, maybe building
[51:35] town homes and in this little area as we
had taken a look at our plan long time
[51:40] ago. We had looked at infill in this
area and this fills that little spot.
[51:45] Uh, I think this is a good idea. Um,
what I do appreciate is that, you know,
[51:50] going out there and talking to the
neighbors, knocking on the door and
[51:52] saying, "Hey, you know, what do you
think? what can we do to make this
[51:55] better? That is, I think, somebody
that's out there trying to make
[52:00] something better when he puts a plan
together. So, I appreciate him going uh
[52:05] for his neighbors.
[52:08] » Thank you. Other discussion points?
[52:14] No other discussion or questions. I will
entertain a motion.
[52:19] » Move to approve.
>> We have a motion to approve.
[52:24] We have a second. Any discussion?
[52:29] » Yep.
>> Yes.
[52:33] » We'll have to do the commission.
>> Yes. First one's commission commission.
[52:36] Let's entertain a motion for the
commission permit first.
[52:40] » So move back. So, I have a motion and a
second to uphold the approval of the
[52:47] commission permit on the basis that the
proposed streets are substantially in
[52:52] accordance with the comprehensive plan.
Any discussion?
[52:58] All in favor?
>> I.
[53:01] » Any opposed?
Any abstensions?
[53:06] That motion carries. Now we will
entertain the motion for reszoning.
[53:13] » Move to approve. Second.
>> So we have a motion and a second to
[53:18] approve the R1 um to approve the R3
resoning request for the property of
[53:24] Journey Church and Journey Church
Incorporated as recommended by the
[53:29] planning commission with the profits.
That's that's accept the profers. The
[53:32] profers with the profers.
>> Any discussion?
[53:38] All in favor?
>> I.
[53:40] » Any opposed?
Any abstensions?
[53:45] That motion carries.
[53:49] With no further business, I would
entertain a motion for adjournment.
[53:54] » So moved.
>> We are adjourned.