This week in county government; Supes pass limited regulations on short-term rentals; Republicans ramp up attacks in Louisa District BOS race; PC to consider CUP requests for event venue, marina
Engage Louisa is a nonpartisan newsletter that keeps folks informed about Louisa County government. We believe our community is stronger and our government serves us better when we increase transparency, accessibility, and engagement.
This week in county government: public meetings, Oct. 9 through Oct. 14
For the latest information on county meetings including public meetings of boards, commissions, authorities, work groups, and internal county committees, click here. (Note: Louisa County occasionally schedules internal committee/work group meetings after publication time. Check the county’s website for the most updated information).
Monday, October 9
Louisa County School Board, Central Office Administration Building, 953 Davis Highway, Mineral, 7 pm. (agenda, livestream)
Wednesday, Oct. 11
James River Water Authority, Fluvanna County Administration Building, 132 Main Street, Palmyra, 9 am. (agenda)
Louisa County Electoral Board, Voter Registration Office, 103 McDonald St., Louisa, 10 am. (agenda)
Neighborhood Meeting, hosted by the Louisa County Community Development Department, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 4 pm.
Community Development Department staff will host a neighborhood meeting focused on two land use applications. The meeting provides a chance for the applicants to present their proposal, answer questions and listen to community concerns. Click here for more information including links to the applications.
Louisa County Water Authority, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 6 pm.
Thursday, Oct. 12
Louisa County Planning Commission, long-range planning work session, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 5 pm. (agenda, livestream)
Louisa County Planning Commission, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 7 pm. (agenda packet, livestream)
Additional information about Louisa County’s upcoming public meetings is available here.
Interested in taking your talents to one of the county’s numerous boards and commissions? Find out more here including which boards have vacancies and how to apply.
Supervisors adopt limited regulations on short-term rentals
After grappling with how to regulate short-term rentals for over a year, the Louisa County Board of Supervisors on Monday night approved limited rules for the temporary lodging option that pleased many STR owners, but left some residents dissatisfied. (meeting materials, livestream)
Following more than an hour of public comment, supervisors voted 5-2 to allow short-term rentals by-right in most of the county’s residential neighborhoods while imposing some restrictions on the dwellings.
In adopting the ordinance, the board rejected a recommendation from the Louisa County Planning Commission that would’ve more strictly regulated the rentals by requiring STR owners to obtain a Conditional Use Permit in most zoning designations. CUPs require a public approval process and the county could’ve mandated occupancy limits and septic system maintenance requirements, key concerns for community members who’ve repeatedly urged the county to regulate the use.
Supervisors instead opted for a more lenient approach that places some limitations on STRs but generally allows the burgeoning industry—especially popular around Lake Anna—to continue with business as usual.
Broadly, the adopted ordinance, dubbed the “board workgroup proposal,” allows STRs by-right in residential zoning inside the county’s growth areas, where more than 90 percent of STRs currently operate, as well as in resort development zoning. It requires STRs in those zoning designations to provide contact information to the county, submit records on septic system inspections and repairs, comply with state health department rules, including guidelines for septic systems, and abide by other state safety regulations, among other provisions. But it doesn’t explicitly include an occupancy cap to be enforced by Louisa County or mandate periodic septic system maintenance.
STRs in the county’s agriculturally zoned areas are permitted by-right with no restrictions while rentals in other zoning districts, where few STRs currently exist, require a CUP. County staff recommended the draft’s approval.
Several supervisors suggested that it’s not the county’s job to restrict STR owners’ ability to rent their homes and that many of the issues surrounding the use could be handled in other ways including through private homeowners’ associations and existing county code.
Louisa District Supervisor Eric Purcell drew on his background as a developer in arguing that residents upset about short-term rentals should turn to their development’s HOA and restrictive convenants for help instead of asking the county to enact more rules.
“That provides mechanisms of enforcement that are much more practical than, in my opinion, what the Planning Commission recommended,” Purcell said, before motioning to approve the board workgroup draft.
Aside from Purcell, Jackson District Supervisor Toni Williams, Patrick Henry District Supervisor Fitzgerald Barnes, Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams, and Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones voted in support of the proposal.
Mountain Road District Supervisor Tommy Barlow and Cuckoo District Supervisor Willie Gentry opposed the regulations, arguing that STRs are a commercial use incompatible with residential zoning and should require a CUP.
“If we pass this thing, I think we are going to be back here again and again trying to fix the problems that are already rearing their heads and came to us in the first place,” Barlow said. “I think we have a responsibility to protect the people who bought in these residential subdivisions expecting a quiet place to live.”
Divided views on rules for STRs
For about 18 months, county officials have been struggled with how to regulate short-term rentals. Though the use is defined in county code—the rental of a dwelling for 30 days or less—it wasn’t otherwise addressed, meaning STRs technically required a CUP. But the county didn’t enforce that rule, leaving the county’s roughly 460 STRs—mostly around the lake—free to operate sans official oversight.
The proliferation of short-term rentals in lakeside neighborhoods sparked controversy and prompted some year-round residents to push for strict regulations. Residents argued at county meetings that STRs are businesses operating in residential neighborhoods that threaten the character of their community, public safety and the long-term health of the lake.
Specifically, they said that overcrowded STRs could lead to failing septic systems that harm the lake’s water quality and urged county officials to adopt a two-person per bedroom occupancy cap—a standard generally in accord with Virginia Department of Health guidelines for septic systems—and septic system maintenance requirements. Residents also complained that unruly renters don't respect their neighborhoods, throwing large parties, leaving piles of trash and speeding down once-quiet streets, and absentee owners have no interest in addressing their concerns.
But STR operators, realtors and members of the business community pushed back, contending that strictly regulating STRs—especially implementing an occupancy cap and enforcing the requirement for a CUP—would decimate tourism and harm small businesses.
The divided views on how to regulate the rentals were reflected in the pair of proposals up for consideration Monday night and in the arguments made by the roughly two dozen community members who weighed in during the public hearing. Many speakers warned against strict regulations, saying that STRs are a vital part of the community and should be embraced. Others argued that it’s county government’s job to ensure that STRs aren’t overcrowded.
“It seems that everyone related to STRs is being vilified even the guests. And, yes, they are guests of Louisa County. They spend millions of dollars a year so that residents can enjoy a better life here. They frequent our restaurants, bars and grocery stores. They rent boats and jet skis, and, as a result, they employ lots of people who can provide for their families. For a moment, let’s all picture the lake with no summer jobs,” said Jackson District resident Marie Snyder. Snyder said that she owns a business entirely dependent on STRs, which employs about 20 people in the summer, and urged the board to adopt the workgroup draft.
Tracy Hale Clark, Executive Director of the Louisa County Chamber of Commerce, also supported the workgroup draft and echoed Snyder on the importance of tourism.
“Our member restaurants, shops, boat rentals, landscapers, cleaning companies, builders, entertainers, breweries and wineries all credit tourism as a key component to their success. In fact, several businesses stated between 50 and 75 percent of their annual revenue is directly impacted by tourism. Some would not exist without it,“ Clark said, citing recently released statistics from the Virginia Tourism Corporation, which show that direct visitor spending in Louisa County rose from $47.4 million in 2016 to over $69 million last year. Clark said that the largest portion of that spending—$23.8 million—was on lodging.
But other speakers pushed for stronger rules especially an occupancy cap.
“My neighborhood has well over 2,000 STR people showing up annually. Do we know these people? No. At the end of the day, I’m not saying no STRs. I am saying there are legal, governing documents that every home has, citizens and STR owners. Those legal governing documents, a certificate of occupancy issued by Louisa County with the number of bedrooms, a VDH permit listed with the number of bedrooms and the gallons per day (for a septic system), should not be discarded,” said Lake Anna resident Valerie Bagby.
Greg Baker, speaking on behalf of the 800-plus members in the Lake Anna Civic Association, an environmental advocacy organization, said that his group doesn’t oppose STRs but supports meaningful restrictions to protect the lake including occupancy limits. He linked the Harmful Algal Blooms that have plagued the upper end of the lake over the last six years—prompting VDH to issue no swim advisories—to overused septic systems.
“We’ve obviously had six years straight of the upper lake being shut down for no swim advisories. That can’t be good for our economy. It can’t be good for the short-term rentals,” Baker said. “Excessive phosphorous and nitrogen cause HABs. Overcapacity of septic systems release phosphorous and nitrogen. A septic system does not need to fail to release excessive phosphorous and nitrogen. In fact, they don’t treat phosphorous and nitrogen. They treat bacteria in E. coli.”
But most board members were unwilling to entertain the idea of an explicit occupancy limit, declining a request from one speaker to reach a compromise proposal.
A closer look at the approved STR ordinance
As passed, the ordinance designates STRs as a commercial use and permits them by-right with some restrictions on property zoned residential (R-1 GAOD, R-2 GAOD) in the county’s designated growth areas, as defined in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, as well as on property zoned for Resort Development (RD). Most waterfront real estate on Lake Anna is zoned residential and in a growth area. Cutalong at Lake Anna, Spring Creek at Zion Crossroads and several other areas are zoned for resort development. STRs operating in these zoning designations are required to:
provide a point of contact for their property to Louisa County and its subdivision’s governing body, if applicable;
provide to tenants a copy of Louisa County code sections pertaining to noise and solid waste as well as the definitions for Special Occasion Facilities and Gatherings as part of short-term rental contracts.
inform tenants that using the property for a special event typically held at a special occasion facility—a wedding, for example—is prohibited unless the property has a valid Conditional Use Permit;
provide to Louisa County documentation of septic system inspections and repairs whenever they are completed, if applicable;
comply with all applicable state health department, building code and safety regulations.
STR owners unable to meet these requirements are prohibited from operating a short-term rental unless they obtain a Conditional Use Permit from the Board of Supervisors.
STRs operating inside or outside of growth areas in industrial (IND, I-1, I-2) and commercial (C-1, C-2) zoning designations require a CUP as do STRs operating in residential zoning designations outside of growth areas. Short-term rentals in agricultural zoning (A-1, A-2) inside or outside a growth area are permitted by-right and not subject to the rules governing STRs on residentially zoned property in growth areas.
The county won’t impose rules on STRs in agricultural zoning to comply with an opinion that Attorney General Jason Miyares published earlier this year. The opinion essentially says that localities can’t use their zoning code to regulate short-term rentals on agricultural land because the use is considered agritourism.
At Williams’ request, the board tweaked several provisions in the workgroup draft including nixing a requirement that STRs provide one parking space per bedroom and space for a trailer, adding a provision that STRs comply with VDH rules and changing the ordinance’s effective date from January 1, 2025 to January 1, 2024.
“It’s going to take 15 months to enforce this? It just doesn’t seem like there’s much there…should we give (people) 15 months to do something that should take a couple days,” Williams said.
Other business
Board to hold public hearing on raising transient occupancy tax: Supervisors agreed to hold a public hearing to consider hiking the transient occupancy tax. The tax is tacked on to customers’ bills when they pay for a short stay at a hotel, bed and breakfast or short-term rental.
The board will hold the hearing at its October 16 meeting and consider raising the tax from two percent of the cost of the lodging to seven percent, according to a public notice.
State law allows localities to levy a transient occupancy tax with revenue generated from an up to two percent tax going to the locality’s general fund. If localities impose a tax that exceeds two percent, any additional revenue up to five percent must be used to promote tourism. Revenue generated by the tax beyond the five percent threshold also goes to the general fund.
In FY23, Louisa County collected $389,331 from the TOT, according to Finance Director Wanda Colvin. If that revenue remained steady, increasing the tax to five percent would generate $583,997 for tourism-related spending. If the county raised the tax to seven percent, it would generate another $389,331 for the general fund for a total of $973,328 in extra revenue.
The transient occupancy tax in surrounding counties varies. Spotsylvania County levies a nine percent TOT, effective October 1. Albemarle and Hanover impose an eight percent tax. Orange and Goochland both tack on a two percent tax and Fluvanna currently doesn’t have a TOT. But Fluvanna’s Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing this month to consider adopting a five percent tax.
Board agrees to hold public hearing on Bracketts Farm tax exemption: Supervisors agreed to hold a second public hearing at their October 16 meeting. In this one, they’ll consider the Elizabeth Aiken Nolting Charitable Foundation’s request for a real estate tax exemption for Bracketts Farm, a 500-acre working farm and historic site in the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District.
The foundation applied for an exemption in late July under a section of state code that allows localities to exempt nonprofits from real estate taxes on property used for “religious, charitable, patriotic, historical, benevolent, cultural, or public park and playground purposes.”
Jack Maus, a retired attorney and member of the board that oversees the farm, argued at the board’s September 5 meeting that the organization meets the criteria laid out in state code and that supervisors should grant the public hearing. He said the farm is an important historical site that allows the public to visit and learn about the Green Springs Historic District. It’s listed as a birding destination by the Department of Wildlife Resources, offers a one-mile public heritage nature trail and operates a charity garden that produces food for the Louisa County Resource Council.
Maus acknowledged that the foundation earns rental income from the property—technically not a charitable use—but said that the money is used to “fulfill our responsibility” of keeping the doors open at one of the county’s most prominent historic resources.
But County Attorney Helen Phillips cited case law that interprets the exemption statute to mean “if a property is not exclusively used for charitable purposes, an exemption should not be granted.“ The foundation earns about $45,000 in rent annually from four dwellings on the farm and pays nearly $8,000 in real estate taxes on the land and its improvements.
The board opted to form a committee to research Bracketts’ request. Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones, who represents the area, said that she and Phillips recently visited the farm and learned more about the benefits it provides the community. Jones requested that the board green-light the public hearing request. Phillips didn’t weigh in during the discussion.
Note: This post has been updated to clarify the remarks of County Attorney Helen Phillips at the Sept. 5 meeting and to clarify language included in the adopted STR ordinance.
Republicans ramp up attacks in Louisa District BOS race
With early voting underway and Election Day fast approaching, the Louisa County Republican Committee has ramped up attacks in the hotly contested Louisa District Board of Supervisors race, mostly around utility-scale solar development.
In Facebook posts over the last month and a half, Republican candidate Chris Colsey and the party that backs him have targeted the race’s two independent candidates, Manning Woodward and Greg Jones, in an effort to paint them as friendly to large-scale solar development, which Colsey labels as a destructive use.
Colsey has made opposition to utility-scale solar a key piece of his campaign and the Republican committee has also latched on to the issue even as two of the board’s sitting Republican members have voted in support of thousands of acres of solar development during their tenure on the board.
Since 2015, supervisors have approved seven utility-scale solar facilities, covering about 5,200 acres, with most of those projects backed by Republicans Duane Adams and Toni Williams, who represent the Mineral and Jackson Districts, respectively. But since Virginia Democrats passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act in 2020, landmark legislation that seeks to decarbonize the state’s power grid by 2050, and turbocharged large-scale solar development, the use has faced growing resistance, especially in rural areas, where most solar facilities are being constructed. Critics of utility-scale solar argue that it’s gobbling up farmland, marring view sheds, impacting water quality due to runoff and detracting from communities’ rural character.
In a video posted on the committee’s Facebook page in late August, Colsey says that utility-scale solar development is “polluting our air, our ground and the water” and “destroying Louisa County.” Standing in front of one of the county’s two operational utility-scale solar developments—while the board has approved seven solar sites to date, only two have been completed—Colsey calls for a moratorium on consideration of new projects then turns his attention to Woodward, currently the Louisa District representative on the Planning Commission.
“Unfortunately, one of my opponents, Manning Woodward, not only thinks these are a good idea, he’s voted for more of them on the Louisa Planning Commission,” he says. Colsey has also said that Woodward voted to reduce the size of the buffers around utility-scale solar facilities and advocated for smaller solar projects.
In another post, the committee shares a news story from 2021 detailing problems at Dominion’s 88 MW Belcher Solar Facility off Waldrop Church Road, where stormwater runoff has caused significant damage to neighboring farms. The problems at Belcher led supervisors to tighten restrictions on large-scale solar development through a revised solar ordinance adopted last year, which Woodward supported. The ordinance caps the amount of county land that can be used for large-scale solar at three percent (9,800 acres) and beefs up buffer and erosion and sediment control standards, among other provisions. In the post, the committee says that, in the wake of Belcher, Woodward “has continued to vote for additional solar projects.”
“Who do you want to represent you on the Board of Supervisors? Someone who will fight to protect Louisa County’s agricultural land or someone who has voted to turn it into an industrial wasteland that our children will have to clean up in 30 years,” the committee asks.
Since joining the Planning Commission in 2020, Woodward has mostly recommended approval of utility-scale solar projects, but, in two instances, opted not to support solar development on specific parcels. One of those instances came in response to a request to expand Belcher to include open farmland along Waldrop Church Road. (Woodward supported a separate portion of the expansion, which faced little opposition).
Woodward’s voting record isn’t much different than Cosley’s Republican ticket-mate, Williams, who's running unopposed for a third term in the Jackson District. Typically a proponent of property rights and less government regulation, Williams has supported nearly every solar project he’s considered since joining the board in 2016 including voting for the full proposal to expand Belcher. (Williams missed the meeting where Belcher was initially approved in 2016).
Since joining the board in 2018, Adams has been somewhat less open to large-scale solar facilities, voting against several projects—including the Belcher expansion—mainly because of concerns about buffers. He also spearheaded the effort to beef up the county’s solar ordinance and, more recently, has seemingly soured on solar entirely as resistance grows among the Republican base. But, like Williams, Adams voted for several projects, covering hundreds of acres, even after the problems at Belcher came to light. In the last six years, he’s voted for more than 3,000 acres of solar development.
With respect to reducing the size of buffers, Woodward recommended approval of the revised solar ordinance last year, which expanded buffer requirements from 150 feet to 300 feet. But, during discussions about the ordinance, he warned against taking a one-size-fits-all approach to solar development and argued that the county was infringing on the property rights of smaller landowners who might want to use some of their property for solar panels.
At the time, supervisors were considering prohibiting solar projects smaller than 151 MW, which would’ve meant any solar facility approved in the county would require hundreds, if not thousands, of acres. Amid community concerns about property rights and the potential negative impacts of massive projects, the board axed the 151 MW floor.
Woodward also recommended approval of two projects that came before the commission in the last year in which applicants requested a special exception to the county’s setback requirements. The applicants argued that a 300-foot setback was unnecessary and impractical given the limited view of the projects. Woodward and the commission didn’t weigh in on the special exceptions, however. Granting exceptions is the sole power of the Board of Supervisors.
In a post on his campaign Facebook page Saturday afternoon, Woodward responded to the Republicans’ attacks, saying that, as member of the Planning Commission, he considers each project on its merits, supports individual property rights and will “ALWAYS put Louisa County first,” (emphasis his).
“My Republican opponent has again put out a misleading ad about my position on solar projects in Louisa County. What my opponent doesn’t say is that while I have voted “yes” on solar projects, I have also voted against solar,” Woodward said.
“I have always been a champion of individual land rights. The ideas my opponent brings from Loudoun County/New York are that (an) individual’s rights to use their land as they see fit isn’t an option…as your supervisor, I will always stand with individuals over government,” Woodward added, referencing Colsey’s years as a local government official in Northern Virginia and New York.
Colsey and the Republican committee have also made a somewhat dubious attempt to attack Jones. In a post last week, the committee shared a graphic featuring a picture of Colsey in which he calls himself a “a lifelong conservative Republican” who will “oppose solar projects that destroy our farmland, water and wildlife.” The last line of the ad states, “Greg Jones is the Vice Chair of an organization that received a check for $87,500 from the SOLAR COMPANY Energix Aditya LLC,” (emphasis theirs).
The line refers to supervisors’ approval of Energix’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to develop an 11 MW utility-scale solar array on a 95-acre parcel off School Bus Road. The project initially faced staunch resistance from neighbors, many of them African American, who expressed concerns about its impact on their property values, the traffic it would generate during construction and the potential for pollutants in their groundwater.
In response, Energix held meetings with residents to address their concerns, some involving representatives from the Louisa branch of the NAACP, which was asked to intervene on their behalf. At the board’s August 2, 2021 meeting, Energix added several conditions to its CUP in which the company agreed to establish an $87,500 scholarship fund for descendants of School Bus Road residents facilitated by the NAACP, provide a walking trail at the project site and conduct annual groundwater and soil testing. The board approved the project in a 6-1 vote.
In an email last week, NAACP-Louisa President Deborah Coles said that the organization “received NO contribution from Energix or the residents of School Bus Road,” (emphasis hers). She said that the group immediately passed the $87,500 along to the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond, the entity ultimately in charge of the scholarship fund, and described her organization’s role as “simply the ‘in between’ for congenial conversations.”
Coles also said that Jones wasn’t vice president of the organization at the time and played no role in the discussions. Jones currently serves as vice president of the branch. His campaign has not publicly responded to the post.
At the August 2, 2021 meeting, Adams, who represents School Bus Road, motioned to approve the project and praised the community’s collaboration. “This process worked the way it was supposed to work,” he said.
In response to a request for comment on the committee’s post, Adams called the NAACP an important community partner and said he’s “grateful for the engagement of all those who made the process work.”
Aside from the revenue solar facilities generate via machinery and tools taxes and real estate taxes, utility-scale solar developers routinely craft deals with localities during their facilities’ approval process that include cash payments to offset a project’s impact or otherwise compensate the community. In addition to the concessions made to residents on School Bus Road, the company agreed to pay Louisa County $16,000 a year over the life of the project and make a $10,000 payment toward broadband deployment.
When Energix won the board’s approval for an up to 118 MW utility-scale solar facility and 50 MW battery storage system at the 1200-acre Cooke Industrial Rail Park—dubbed the Two Oaks project—on the other side of Davis Highway, the company agreed to provide the county with more than $500,000 in emergency services equipment including a 3,000-gallon tanker truck, self-containing breathing apparatus and thermal camera.
Local nonprofits and students in Louisa County Public Schools could also benefit from the Two Oaks project thanks to the involvement of the William A. Cooke Foundation, a charitable organization that distributes hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants and scholarships annually. The foundation, mainly via Rail Park North, LLC, has leased some 400 acres to Energix while the Louisa County Industrial Development Authority has leased the other 800 acres. Assuming the project comes to fruition, the foundation estimates that Two Oaks will provide an annual funding increase of $700,000, which will be available for local grants and scholarships, per Energix’s land use application.
The Cooke Foundation’s windfall was considered a selling point of the project when the board approved it in a 7-0 vote in January 2022. All three of the board’s Republican members—Adams, Williams, and Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones, who had just joined the board—voted in favor of the facility.
The Louisa District supervisor race is one of only two contested local elections on this year’s ballot and it has emerged as the county’s marquee matchup. After current Louisa District representative Eric Purcell (I) announced in March that he wouldn’t seek re-election, the race drew three contenders: Colsey, a public school teacher who moved to the county from northern Virginia in 2020; Woodward, a Louisa native who ran his family’s insurance business until retiring in 2021; and Jones, a pastor and small business owner born and raised in Louisa.
Note: This article was updated to clarify Greg Jones’ current position with the Louisa branch of the NAACP.
Election Day is November 7 and early voting is underway at the Louisa County Registrar’s Office, 103 McDonald Street, Louisa. Check out next week’s edition of Engage Louisa for our full election preview. Click here for voter information and sample ballots.
Planning Commission to consider CUP requests for event venue, marina
The Louisa County Planning Commission on Thursday night will hold a pair of public hearings. In the first, commissioners will consider a request for a Conditional Use Permit to operate a marina on Lake Anna. In the second, they’ll consider a local winery’s request for a CUP to operate a special event venue and host outdoor gatherings.
Planners to consider CUP request to operate marina on Lake Anna: Commissioners will hold a public hearing and consider Louis Bedell III’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to allow for a marina, recreational vehicle sales and service, and parking facility for outdoor storage on 6.7 acres at 183 Pleasant Landing Road on Lake Anna. The property is zoned for commercial use and located within the Lake Anna Growth Area in the Cuckoo Voting District (tmp 47-11-2B, 47-11-2A).
According to his land use application, Bedell, the property’s contract purchaser, plans to modify “existing structures and construct additional structures for the establishment and operation of a lake side marina, boat rental and storage facility, and boat sales and repair facility.”
Bedell says that the project won’t be detrimental to the neighborhood, noting that the subject property is adjacent to Pleasant Landing, which offers many of the same commercial uses. He also points out that he doesn’t plan to host outdoor events—as Pleasant Landing does—which would add to noise and traffic in the area.
The Louisa County Community Development Department and the applicant hosted a neighborhood meeting in mid-September, which eight community members attended. According to staff’s report, attendees expressed concerns about increased boat traffic, speeding and wake impacting nearby homes, and noise, among other issues.
Staff recommends approval of the CUP with 14 conditions, some of which are aimed at mitigating neighbors’ concerns. Among the conditions are: a provision requiring the applicant to install technology that will alert the company when a speed over 10 MPH has been exceeded within the body of the cove; the placement of two no wake buoys, pending approval of reviewing agencies, and adequate signage on site that no wake will be permitted until vessels exiting the facility have entered the main body of Lake Anna; a 20 to 30 foot vegetative buffer on the periphery of the property; and a prohibition on amplified outside noise. The facility also must reserve two boat slips for emergency service equipment.
Commission to consider CUP request for event venue: Planners will hold a public hearing and consider Everleigh Vineyard and Brewery’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to operate a special occasion facility on roughly 132 acres at 9845 Jefferson Highway in the Jackson Voting District. The applicant is also asking for permission to host outdooring gatherings.
Currently, Everleigh operates a winery and cidery on the agriculturally-zoned parcels (A-1, tmp 73-26, 73-32). According to its land use application, the company also wants to host “weddings, concerts, craft fairs, car shows etc.” The applicant says that the additional uses won’t negatively impact the neighborhood, noting that the size of the property allows plenty of space for buffers and parking. The applicant also points out that the winery is served by a paved commercial entrance off Route 33 and has a secondary entrance that could be used in case of emergency.
In its report, Community Development Department staff recommends approval of the CUP with 12 conditions. Those conditions would cap event attendance at 500 people except for weddings, which couldn’t exceed 120 guests, cap the number of weddings at 15 per year, cap outdoor gathers at 30 annually, and require events to end by 9:45 pm.
No one attended a community meeting hosted by county staff and the applicant in mid-September, but several neighbors sent emails supporting Everleigh’s request.
“I am confident that these events will not only be a reflection of the care that they put into their wines but also a reflection of the care they have for us as neighbors. It’s truly heartwarming to have such a considerate addition to our community, and I am enthusiastic about the positive impact they will continue to have,” neighbor Mary Rodgers wrote.
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