This week in county government; Election roundup; Plans for data center campuses take step forward; BOS approves CUPs for marina, event venue

Nov 13, 2023

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, Nov. 13 through Nov. 18

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).

Wednesday, November 15

Community Policy Management Team, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 1 pm.

Thursday, November 16

Industrial Development Authority, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 8:30 am.

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.

Election roundup: Woodward wins Louisa District BOS seat

Independent Manning Woodward prevailed in the marquee local matchup in last Tuesday’s election, winning a three-man race for the Louisa District seat on the Louisa County Board of Supervisors.

The Louisa native, who currently sits on the county’s Planning Commission, beat fellow independent Greg Jones by 111 votes, according to an unofficial election night tally. Woodward won support on 41.6 percent of ballots, good for 664 votes, to Jones 34.7 percent or 553 votes. Republican Chris Colsey finished third with 23.2 percent, collecting 371 votes.

The final vote totals could change as the Louisa County Electoral Board tallies late-arriving mail-in and provisional ballots. General Registrar Cris Watkins said that 75 provisional ballots were cast county-wide. The board must adjudicate the ballots to ensure they’re from eligible voters before certifying the final results Monday afternoon.

Come January, Woodward, a retiree who spent much of his career running his family’s insurance business, will assume the seat currently held by Eric Purcell (I). Purcell opted not to seek re-election and endorsed Woodward in the race.

“I am so grateful and humbled (for residents’) vote and support. I look forward to being (the Louisa District’s) representative for the next four years. I am going to try and do my best to represent (the district) in the best manner possible through listening to (residents) and their concerns and carrying those forward to the Board of Supervisors,” Woodward said in a telephone interview Wednesday evening.

Woodward focused much of his campaign on his deep roots in the community, his support for lowering taxes and his commitment to maintaining civility in local politics, fending off attacks from Colsey and his Republican backers for some of his votes on the Planning Commission.

Republicans tried to frame Colsey as the only conservative in the race, sharply criticizing Woodward for his support of what the party termed “Green New Deal solar plants” and his vote to recommend that the Board of Supervisors revise the county’s sign ordinance to ban vulgar political signs. Some residents had complained about offensive signs aimed at President Joe Biden.

Woodward responded by accusing Republicans of bringing divisive Washington-style politics to Louisa and argued in social media posts that a vote for him would signal a rejection of “the politics of hatred, bitterness and destruction.” In a pre-election Facebook post, Woodward quipped, “Don’t DC our Louisa,” a play on the popular Republican slogan, “Don’t California my Virginia.”

Colsey and the local party’s criticism appeared to mostly fall flat in a district where voters cast about 60 percent of their ballots for Republicans in state legislative races. Woodward rode a strong performance in the Louisa 1 precinct to victory, the district’s most populous precinct and home to the Town of Louisa and the Tanyard subdivision where he resides. He garnered 387 votes, 48.5 percent of ballots cast, in Louisa 1 to Jones’ 259 and Colsey’s 150.

In Louisa 2, home turf for both Colsey and Jones, Jones narrowly prevailed. The pastor and small business owner, who ran as an independent but was recommended by the local Democratic committee on its sample ballot, won support from 36.8 percent of voters, good for 243 votes. Woodward got 227 votes and Colsey received 186. In Louisa 3, the district’s smallest and westernmost precinct, Jones edged Woodward by one vote, 51 to 50, based on unofficial results. Colsey garnered 35 votes.

In a statement on Wednesday, Colsey, a public school teacher who’s lived in the county full-time for about three years, congratulated Woodward and encouraged the community to support him as he joins the board.

“I believe that the Louisa District will be well represented by Mr. Woodward. I encourage all residents of the Louisa District to welcome him into his role, provide input to aid him in his public service, and hold the County of Louisa in prayer as our current and newly elected leadership face the various challenges of government,” Colsey said.

At publication time, Jones, who lost a previous run for Board of Supervisors by just 15 votes in 2007, hadn’t publicly commented on the unofficial results.

In the county’s two other Board of Supervisors races, two-term incumbent Toni Williams (R) won an uncontested race in the Jackson District and political newcomer Christopher McCotter (R) won an unopposed bid in the Cuckoo District.

Williams claimed 96.6 percent of vote while 3.3 percent of voters wrote in their choice. McCotter won 96.2 percent of the vote while 3.7 percent supported write-ins. McCotter will take over the seat currently held by longtime board member Willie Gentry (I). His and Williams’ victories give Republicans four seats on the board while three seats will be held by members who run as independents.

Hill wins Jackson District School Board race: The only other contested election among the 11 county offices on Tuesday’s ballot was the Jackson District School Board race where Bernie Hill handily beat A.H. McClendon, capturing 65 percent of the vote to McClendon’s 33.8 percent.

Hill will replace two-term board member Frances Goodman, who opted not to seek re-election. The retiree and long-time Louisa resident brings extensive experience in both education and technology to the board in addition to having personal ties to the school division.

Hill served as executive technology officer for two large state agencies, worked in leadership at the University of Virginia and the state’s community college system and taught high school mathematics and online graduate school courses. Hill’s wife, Wanda, taught in Louisa County Public Schools for 32 years and his two sons attended local schools.

Though school board candidates run as independents, the Louisa County Republican Committee endorsed Hill, who said during the campaign that he wants to be a “conservative voice” on the board and that he backs Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s “parents’ rights” agenda.

McClendon, a federal employee who spent 28 years in the Marine Corps, ran mostly on maintaining the school division’s current standards. Had he won, he would’ve been the board’s first Black member in nearly a decade.

Two longtime incumbents won re-election to the board in uncontested races. In the Louisa District, Billy Seay was elected to a fifth term. Seay tallied 98 percent of the vote while 1.26 percent of voters supported write-ins. In the Cuckoo District, Stephen Harris won a fifth term with 97.5 percent of voters supporting him and 2.47 percent writing in their choice.

Other local races: The contests to fill the county’s five constitutional offices—clerk of court, commissioner of the revenue, treasurer, commonwealth’s attorney and sheriff—were all uncontested. Here’s a rundown of the results.

In the commissioner of the revenue’s race, one-term incumbent Stacey Fletcher (I) garnered 98.7 percent of the vote while 1.29 percent of voters chose the write-in option.
In the treasurer’s race, incumbent Henry Wash (I) captured 98.7 percent of the vote to 1.29 percent for write-ins.
For clerk of court, incumbent Patty Madison (I), elected in a special election in 2017, won her first eight-year term. Madison captured 98.7 percent of the vote while 1.29 percent of voters chose to write in. Virginia’s clerks of court are the only constitutional officers to serve eight-year terms instead of the standard four-year stint.
For sheriff, Republican Donnie Lowe won election to a second term, garnering support on 97.6 percent of ballots with 2.37 percent of voters supporting write-ins.
In the commonwealth’s attorney’s race, incumbent Republican Rusty McGuire won re-election, capturing 97 percent of the vote to 2.9 percent for write-ins.

Louisa voters also chose the county’s two representatives on the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District’s Board of Directors. Incumbents Stephen Lucas and Carolyn Daughters were the only candidates in the race and retained their seats. In the Town of Mineral, Michelle Covert was the lone candidate in a special election to fill one of six seats on Town Council. Covert won with 77 votes while 13 voters wrote in their choice, according to unofficial results.

Just over 40 percent of Louisa County’s more than 30,000 registered voters cast a ballot in last Tuesday’s election, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. Click here for full results.

Election roundup: Republicans win in SD10, HD59; Dems prevail in SD11, HD55 and statewide

On a night when Democrats narrowly held control of the state Senate and flipped the balance of power in the House of Delegates, Louisa County voters mostly backed Republicans in state legislative races.

Republicans John McGuire and Buddy Fowler rolled to victories in last Tuesday’s election in the 10th state Senate District and 59th House of Delegates District, respectively. In the 10th, McGuire, a fitness instructor and former Navy SEAL who has represented Louisa in the House of Delegates since 2018, cruised to victory over Democrat write-in candidate Dan Tomlinson. McGuire garnered just over 91 percent of the vote in the district, which includes most of Louisa, western Hanover and all or part of eight other localities. Tomlinson and other write-ins received 8.7 percent. In Louisa, McGuire tallied more than 87 percent of the vote while Tomlinson, a Lake Anna resident, and other write-ins garnered 12.4 percent, according to unofficial results.

In the 59th, Fowler, a five-term incumbent from Hanover, defeated Democrat Rachel Levy, an Ashland educator, 59 percent to 41 percent. Fowler rolled in Louisa, winning support on 67 percent of ballots cast to Levy’s 32.5 percent. The 59th includes most of Louisa, western Hanover and a small slice of Henrico.

In the 11th state Senate District and 55th House of Delegates District, which include four precincts in western Louisa, Democrats Creigh Deeds and Amy Laufer prevailed district-wide but Republicans turned in solid performances locally. The districts include a section of Louisa that’s typically more friendly to Democrats than the rest of the county.

Deeds was elected to the Senate for the seventh time, easily defeating Republican Philip Hamilton, 65 percent to 34.8 percent, in a district dominated by Charlottesville and Albemarle County. In Louisa, Deeds edged Hamilton by just 45 votes based on unofficial results.

In the 55th, Laufer won her first term in state office, outpacing Republican Steve Harvey with 61 percent of the vote to his 38.8 percent in the Albemarle-centered district. Harvey edged Laufer in Louisa, 51 percent to 48 percent.

Deeds and Laufer will head to Richmond as part of Democratic majorities. Based on unofficial results, Democrats retained control of the Senate, winning 21 seats to Republicans’ 19, and flipped the House of Delegates, capturing 51 seats to Republicans’ 49.

All 140 seats in the General Assembly were on this year’s ballot in new districts redrawn during the once-a-decade redistricting process. Last session, Democrats held a 22-18 majority in the Senate while Republicans had a 52-48 edge in the House.

With Democrats in charge of the state legislature and Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin in the Executive Mansion, divided government will again grip Richmond, meaning neither party will have a chance to fully enact its legislative agenda.

Republicans headed into this fall’s election with high hopes of claiming a trifecta in Capitol Square, which would’ve potentially enabled them to ban most abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, cut corporate taxes and roll back criminal justice and gun law reforms enacted when Democrats had full control in Richmond.

But those hopes fizzled Tuesday night as Democrats prevailed in a handful of competitive suburban districts in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads to maintain their so-called “brick wall” in the Senate and expand it to the House.

In post-election messages to supporters, Deeds, an attorney, and Laufer, a former teacher, hailed their party’s victory and vowed to go to Richmond and fight for progressive priorities. Deeds returns to the Capitol as one of the state legislature’s longest serving members. He’s expected to wield significant power in the Senate as a high-ranking member of the Finance and Appropriations Committee, which plays a key role in crafting the state budget.

“The voters were loud and clear about what is important to them—from gun safety prevention to mental health, from abortion access to K-12 education, from climate policy to marriage equality—this is a win for ALL Virginians,” Deeds said in an email to supporters (emphasis his).

McGuire and Fowler both acknowledged that it was a disappointing night for Republicans, but thanked supporters and vowed to continue to fight for their priorities.

“It was a tough night for Virginia. We did gain one seat in the senate, but, sadly, the democrats now have control of the house and the senate. Everyone should give Governor Youngkin, our volunteers, GOP Chairs, and thousands of others a hug for working so hard,” McGuire said in an email to supporters. “We need to unite, learn, and bounce back even stronger.”

Plans for data center campuses take step forward

The Louisa County Planning Commission on Thursday night held a wide-ranging meeting, determining that a pair of proposed data center campuses are substantially in accord with the county’s Comprehensive Plan, greenlighting a request to farm on residentially-zoned property and hearing from residents who don’t want a handful of new homes in their neighborhood. (meeting materials, video)

Commissioners determine proposed data center campuses in conformance with Comp Plan as new details emerge about North Creek site: Amazon Web Services is one step closer to setting up shop in Louisa County.

The Planning Commission voted 4-0 to determine that AWS’s proposed Lake Anna Technology Campus and North Creek Technology Campus are substantially in accord with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Jackson District Commissioner Cy Weaver and Green Springs District Commissioner Jim Dickerson were absent. Patrick Henry District Commissioner Ellis Quarles attended the meeting via telephone but missed both votes.

The determinations are required under state and county code because the company intends to construct or establish public streets or street connections, parks or other public areas, and public utility facilities at one or both campuses.

In late August, Louisa County announced that AWS plans to invest $11 billion by 2040 to build two data center campuses in its newly created Technology Overlay District, a special zoning designation approved by the Board of Supervisors in April that’s designed to attract lucrative tech sector development. The project is part of the tech giant’s plan to invest $35 billion to build data center campuses across the state, an initiative that Governor Glenn Youngkin announced in January.

One of the campuses—dubbed the Lake Anna Technology Campus (LATC)—is slated for 146 acres at the corner of Kentucky Springs Road and Haley Drive adjacent to the North Anna Nuclear Power Station. The other—the North Creek Technology Campus—is planned for about 1,444 acres south of Route 33 and east of Mount Airy Road across from the Northeast Creek Reservoir.

The commission centered most of their discussion on the North Creek campus during Thursday’s meeting, the more expansive of the two sites. Though AWS is still working on a master plan for the campus, Senior Planning and Development Manager Casey Frazier suggested that the company’s plans could be more extensive than county officials have previously stated.

Frazier said that AWS could put 20 to 25 buildings on the campus, calling that a conservative estimate and noting there’s still “a fair amount of flexibility” in what the final number would be. Louisa County Economic Development Director Andy Wade has said that the company would build 11 data centers between both campuses though Wade has noted that Amazon could expand those plans.

A proposed Buffer and Landscaping Plan presented at Thursday’s meeting shows the company’s extensive plans for new electrical infrastructure, public roads and open space on the campus.

According to the plan, AWS intends to develop 816 acres of the NCTC while leaving 628 acres as open space. Of that, 375 acres would be donated to the county for potential use as a public park. The park land winds through the campus with much of it hugging Northeast Creek, which runs through the eastern portion of the site.

The company plans to build a new public road system at its expense, which would provide access to both the data centers and park. One road extends south from Route 33 and snakes through the campus, connecting to Mount Airy Road at the southern end of the site. AWS also plans to build an extension off White Walnut Road at the campus’s southern end, connecting it with the other proposed road just east of its intersection with Mount Airy.

Commission Chair John Disosway asked why the company intends to build public roads instead of private ones. AWS representatives responded that the reasons are multi-faceted. For one, the implementation of public roads impacts how the company can develop the campus based on state permitting requirements, said attorney Matt Roberts. Public roads are also a more practical option for reaching public park land and keeping construction traffic off Route 33 and Mount Airy Road, Roberts said.

To support the data centers’ intense demand for power, AWS’s plans include 10 substations, covering 10 acres each, interspersed throughout the campus, and the extension of a high-voltage transmission line that adjoins the campus’s northern edge. Lee Brock, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative’s principal engineering manager for energy projects, said each substation is expected to have the capacity to provide 300 MW of power, meaning the company could supply as a much as 3 GW of power to the site. One GW is roughly enough electricity to power 750,000 homes.

Disosway noted that AWS is required to have back-up diesel generators on site in case the campus loses power. He asked how many generators would be on the campus and how often they would be tested. Frazier said that each data center is typically served by 25 generators, which are tested once a month.

Disosway wondered how that might impact air quality in the area. Community Development Director Josh Gillespie said that AWS is required to get air permits through the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

Beyond data centers’ hunger for power, the use requires large quantities of water to cool the racks of computer servers inside. AWS plans to rely on water from the publicly-owned Northeast Creek Reservoir.

Roberts said that the two campuses could draw as much as 7.2 million gallons of raw water per day from the reservoir. But Wade clarified that that figure represents peak demand. He said the data centers would only use that much water a handful of days during the summer and noted that the facilities would rely on the “ambient air temperature” instead of water for cooling in the winter. Wade said the campuses’ average daily water use is expected to be 630,000 gpd and that the reservoir’s safe yield capacity is 3.2 million gpd based on a recent analysis.

Overall, Wade said the campuses are expected to draw 230 million gallons of water per year from the reservoir and its annual safe yield is 1.1 billion gallons. According to Louisa County Water Authority General Manager Pam Baughman, from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023, the average daily withdraw from the reservoir was 277,000 gallons.

The NCTC will also be served by public sewer. Wade said its use of potable water and public sewer is expected to reach about 40,000 gpd. The closest public sewer is at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School on Route 33 and infrastructure would be extended from there to serve the campus, Wade said.

AWS has agreed to pay for all offsite infrastructure required for the sites, according to county officials and company representatives though some of that cost is expected to be offset by state and local infrastructure grants. County officials have said that any local grant funding provided to the company would be drawn from tax revenue generated by the data centers. AWS and county officials are currently negotiating both a final performance agreement and a water service agreement.

The commission had little discussion about the LATC, the smaller of the two campuses but the one that’s expected to be developed first. Gillespie told the commission that AWS’s relevant plans for the substantial accord determination include a new street connection to Haley Drive, utility connections including two new substations; and new water lines from the reservoir. The campus will only be served by raw water—it will source potable water on site—and won’t have public sewer, according to Wade.

An application submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers in early September provides significantly more insight into the company’s plans for the campus. AWS and REB Investment Company, LLC, the property’s current owner, submitted the application to obtain permission to impact jurisdictional wetlands and Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS).

According to a conceptual plan included in the application, AWS intends to build seven standard data centers on the property covering some 1.7 million square feet and providing a minimum of 420 megawatt (MW) of data center capacity “to serve the expanding demand for cloud-based computing.” The campus is also expected to include an administration building, two smaller buildings, described in the application as “specialty data centers,” two substations capable of providing 300 MW of power each, stormwater basins, a rainwater harvesting pond and water and sewer infrastructure.

Wade said in an email to Engage Louisa that the company intends to rely on ground water for the first phase of the project, which is expected to include one to two data centers, while it awaits completion of a raw water line. Wade stated at previous public meetings that construction at the LATC could begin as soon as next year with a data center online by 2025.

State law requires that the commission determine that the new public facilities planned for the campuses are in substantial accord with the Comp Plan and provide written reasons to the Board of Supervisors for the determinations. The commission chose to cite a pair of staff memos as their reasoning.

Staff recommended that the commission find both campuses in conformance. With respect to the LATC, staff notes that the campus is planned for a parcel adjacent to the North Anna Power Station in the Lake Anna Growth Area Overlay District. While the parcel is currently split-zoned commercial and residential, it’s designated for industrial use on the plan’s Future Land Use Map. The proposed campus is also part of the Technology Overlay District.

“Both overlay districts are created to direct high-quality jobs and businesses to areas that infrastructure is available or could be provided by the County,” staff writes.

Staff notes that though the nine parcels included in the proposed NCTC lie outside of the plan’s designated growth areas, the properties are included in the TOD and situated near a high-voltage transmission line, public water infrastructure and a primary road (Route 33), critical components for tech industry development. Staff points to the Comp Plan’s goals of managing and concentrating growth, preserving open spaces, and broadening the tax base to support its recommendation.

Though the TOD is not included in the current Comp Plan, county officials are planning to update the document over the next two years.

“That’s the Comp Plan catching up with zoning actions by both bodies,” said Cuckoo District Commissioner George Goodwin, who serves on the county’s Comp Plan committee.

Note to readers: Engage Louisa takes seriously our mission of providing fair, accurate and nonpartisan reporting on Louisa County government. For the purposes of full disclosure, Engage Louisa’s author, Tammy Purcell, is a minority shareholder in Dick Purcell Land, Cattle and Timber, which owns property that is part of Amazon Web Services’ proposed North Creek Technology Campus as outlined in the Louisa County Planning Commission’s November 9th meeting agenda packet.

PC greenlights ag operation on residential property: Commissioners voted 5-0 to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve Christopher and Katherine Myer’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to allow an agricultural operation on 42.51 acres of residentially-zoned property (R-2).

The five subject parcels (tmp 43-115, 116, 117, 112, 113) are located at and around 142 Old Tolersville Road just north of the Town of Mineral in the Mineral Growth Area Overlay District. The area is designated for low-density residential development on the Future Land Use Map in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

According to their land use applications, the Myers purchased the land earlier this year and intend to raise cattle for beef production, keep horses on the property, and grow hay for the animals and other farmers. They plan to build accessory agricultural structures and new fencing, implement rotational grazing techniques to prevent overgrazing and soil erosion, and maintain buffer zones and natural habitats to promote biodiversity and protect wildlife.

Christopher Myer told the commission Thursday night that though the property is zoned residential and surrounded by similarly zoned properties, it’s historically been used for agricultural, and he and his family want to continue that tradition.

“The Mineral community knows it as the Spicer farm,” Myer said of the property.

Myer expressed concern about a standard condition included in the CUP that provides that the Board of Supervisors or its designated representative “have the right to inspect the site at any reasonable time without prior notice.”

Myer said the condition “puts a ton of liability on us for anyone to walk on the property at any time,” citing concerns about animals escaping because a gate is left open.

County staff said the condition is regularly included in CUPs, but it’s not staff’s practice to enter a property without notifying the owner.

The commission recommended that staff and the applicant craft language that’s acceptable to all parties prior to the Board of Supervisors consideration of the CUP. The commission also added a condition that bars the Myers from using biosolids given the property’s proximity to the Town of Mineral.

Residents sound off on proposed rezoning for more homes off Halls Store Road: A proposed rezoning to allow more residential lots in eastern Louisa County has sparked pushback from neighbors.

The Planning Commission had planned to hold a public hearing and vote on whether to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve GK Structures, LLC’s request to rezone, from A-1 to A-2, about 21.9 acres (tmp 73-6-4) at the corner of Jefferson Highway (Route 33) and Halls Store Road (Route 612) in the Jackson Voting District. The rezoning would allow GK Structures to divide the property into seven residential lots, four more than what’s permitted under its current zoning.

At the request of Jackson District Commissioner Cy Weaver, who couldn’t attend the meeting, the commission instead opted to delay formal consideration of the request until its December meeting. But Chair John Disosway opened the public hearing to allow citizens in attendance the chance to have their say on the proposed rezoning.

While GK Structures didn’t make a formal presentation Thursday night, its land use application indicates that the company intends to divide the property into seven parcels, ranging in size from 1.6 to 6.8 acres. Six of the lots would front Halls Store Road, each with a private entrance. The seventh would have an entrance off Route 33.

The company plans to build a single-family home on each lot with a target sales price between $300,000 and $350,000. As home prices climb in the county, the applicant argues that the rezoning would benefit the community, enabling GK Structures to provide more affordable housing options that meet the needs of young families and empty nesters.

But four neighbors told the Planning Commission that they’re opposed to the rezoning and don’t want seven new homes in their neighborhood. The speakers said they want to maintain their community’s rural character and have concerns about increased traffic on Halls Store Road.

“Halls Store Road (is) well-travelled. I know it well by car, bicycle and foot. It’s a typical country road, fairly narrow, unmarked, no shoulders, not seemingly designed for more and more development,” said Virginia Robinson, who lives on a farm adjacent to the subject parcel.

“I am a fan of trees. The building of seven homes instead of three will make it necessary to remove more trees. Our rural Louisa is becoming a county ripe for overdevelopment. Trees are cut, land is cleared, habitats are destroyed,” she added.

Supervisors clear way for marina, event venue

The Louisa County Board of Supervisors last Monday night cleared the way for a pair of businesses to either set up shop or expand their operations in eastern Louisa County. Beyond that, the board okayed a contract for an interim county attorney and prepared to move forward with a request for a through truck traffic restriction on West Green Springs Road. (meeting materials, video)

Board greenlights CUP for marina on Lake Anna: Supervisors voted unanimously to greenlight Louis Bedell III’s request for a Condition Use Permit to operate a marina, boat sales and service business and boat storage facility on the eastern edge of Lake Anna.

The business is slated for 6.7 acres of commercially-zoned (C-2) property at 183 Pleasant Landing Road in the Cuckoo Voting District. Bedell has a contract to purchase the property from its current owner, Terry Godbolt.

Bedell plans to offer boat and jet ski rentals and sell, repair and store boats. To accommodate those uses, he intends to construct: 43 boat slips, half of which will be covered, extending 150 feet into the lake; 20 floating jet ski slips; boat ramps; a show room; a repair area; and a 300-foot, two-story boatel that can house 80 to 90 vessels. Bedell plans to use an existing home on the property as a sales office.

Torrey Williams, an attorney representing the applicant, told the Planning Commission at its October meeting that Bedell would offer some daily boat and jet ski rentals, but a portion of the slips would be reserved for customers who rent space on a yearly basis. The boatel provides those renters indoor dry storage. The boat ramps wouldn’t be open for public use, Williams said, only serving renters and customers who purchase a boat at the facility or bring a vessel in for repair. Planners voted 7-0 to recommend approval of the request.

Williams said Monday night that the project fits with the character of the neighborhood and wouldn’t be detrimental, noting that the subject parcels lie just south of another marina, Pleasant Landing, and they are surrounded by other commercially-zoned properties.

As part of the CUP, the applicant agreed to 15 conditions, largely aimed at mitigating neighbors’ concerns. Among the conditions are a provision requiring a 20 and 30-foot vegetative buffer on parts of the property, a prohibition on amplified outside noise and a requirement that the facility provide a boat slip and jet ski slip for emergency service equipment.

Supervisors tweaked several conditions during the meeting. Most notably, they axed a requirement that boats go no faster than five miles per hour in the cove adjacent to the marina and that the applicant use technology that tracks boat speeds to ensure compliance.

Board Chair Duane Adams, who owns a boat rental business on the upper end of the lake, said that the presence of no wake buoys in the cove essentially negates the need for the condition. A separate condition requires the applicant to apply for permission to add a second no wake buoy in the cove.

At the request of Mountain Road District Supervisor Tommy Barlow, the board also added a condition capping the maximum height of the overwater covered boat slips at 20 feet.

Bedell’s proposal elicited some pushback during the public hearing. Neighbor Hugh Joyce, who owns property just to the south of the subject parcels, said that his property is split zoned commercial and residential, but it’s been used for residential purposes for decades. He asked that the board require the applicant to treat his line as a residential boundary even though the portion of his property that abuts one of the subject parcels is zoned commercial. County code requires commercial uses adjoining residential zoning to include a 50-foot setback inclusive of a 25-foot landscaped buffer.

Williams pointed out that county code doesn’t require buffers between commercially zoned properties. (It does require a 30-foot setback). Still, he said, the applicant has included in the CUP a 30-foot buffer comprised of a double row of trees along its boundary with Joyce’s property.

Several supervisors wondered if Bedell could adjust his site plan to address Joyce’s concerns. Williams said that he didn’t think that was possible, but the applicant would investigate extending the setback when finalizing the site plan.

Supes ok CUP for event venue: Supervisors voted 7-0 to approve Everleigh Vineyards and Brewing Company’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to operate a special occasion facility on roughly 132 acres at 9845 Jefferson Highway (Route 33) in the Jackson Voting District. The applicant also has permission to host outdoor gatherings.

For about a year, Everleigh has operated a winery and brewery on the agriculturally-zoned parcels (A-1, tmp 73-26, 73-32). Now, the company plans to host weddings, concerts, craft fairs, car shows and other events.

Barbara Evers, who owns and operates the vineyard with her husband, Joseph, has said that the additional uses won’t negatively impact the neighborhood and the business is well positioned to host events. She’s noted that the size of the property and existing trees provide ample buffers, the vineyard is served by a paved commercial entrance off Route 33 and has a secondary entrance for emergency access, and there’s plenty of space for parking.

Supervisors removed or tweaked several conditions included in the CUP, providing the Evers more leeway in hosting events. Instead of capping outdoors events at 30 per year and wedding at 15, the board capped all events at 54 annually. Supervisors also removed a 120-person attendance limit for weddings, axed a requirement that a sheriff’s deputy direct traffic for events exceeding 300 attendees and stipulated that events must end by 10 pm instead of 9:45.

Only one community member spoke during the public hearing, but she didn’t explicitly support or oppose the Evers’ request. Several neighbors submitted letters in support of the CUP.

Board discusses West Green Springs Road through truck traffic restriction: Supervisors agreed to direct county staff to initiative the process to request a through truck traffic restriction on West Green Springs Road (Route 617). If the Virginia Department of Transportation grants the request, through tractor trailers would be barred from using the road, which stretches from James Madison Highway (Route 15) to Columbia Road (Route 615) just north of Zion Crossroads.

Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones asked the board to consider starting the request process, which requires the county to propose a suitable alternate route for through trucks and hold a public hearing.

Jones said that a farm on West Green Springs Road has “somehow ended up” in a GPS system that directs truckers to truck routes, causing truckers to leave Route 15 and head down the unpaved road. Jones said that VDOT has informed her that the best way to address the issue is to restrict through truck traffic on the road. Through trucks refer to vehicles that don’t have a destination on the subject route.

“(The restriction) will automatically pull the farm from the mapping system and alleviate the issue,” Jones said.

Board approves contract for interim county attorney: A familiar face has returned to Louisa County to serve as interim county attorney.

Supervisors unanimously approved a contract to hire Dale Mullen and his firm, Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP, to temporarily fill the county attorney job. The position was recently vacated by Helen Phillips, who worked as county attorney for about four years.

Mullen previously served as Louisa’s county administrator from 2008 to 2013, according to his profile on Linkedin. He’s currently a partner at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, leading the firm’s Administrative Law, Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement Practice Group.

Supervisors are continuing their search for a permanent county attorney, according to an employment listing on the county’s website. They are also seeking applicants for assistant county attorney.

Phillips left the county attorney's office in mid-October. The circumstances surrounding her departure haven’t been publicly disclosed. Kyle Eldridge, who formerly served as assistant county attorney, also left his position last month to take a job at a Richmond law firm.

Other business:

Supervisors voted 7-0 to appropriate $4,577 to the Elisabeth Aiken Nolting Foundation and $10,400 to the Louisa County Cooperative Extension Office for a pair of projects that support outdoor recreation and forest conservation. The Nolting Foundation plans to use the money to install educational signs and benches along its 1.6-mile heritage and natural trail at Bracketts Farm, a 515-acre working farm and historic site in the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District. The extension office intends to use the funding for four educational programs focused on land conservation and farm and forest sustainability. The county received the money from the state’s Forest Sustainability Fund as part of a $37,457.72 allocation.
The board voted 7-0 to pass a resolution supporting the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions’ request that Governor Glenn Youngkin include in his proposed biennial state budget $3.15 million per year in additional funding for regional planning districts, about $150,000 per district. Currently, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, which includes Louisa County, and most other planning district commissions receive just under $90,000 in state base aid annually, according to the resolution.
The board voted unanimously to amend the Calendar Year 2023 Holiday Schedule to give county employees a full day off on Tuesday, December 26 instead of a half day off on Friday, December 22. County offices are also closed on Monday, December 25.

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