Planning commission hears residentsconcerns over proposed 205-site Lebanon Road RV park

Prince George County Planning Commission members on Sept. 25 heard more than a dozen residents oppose a special-exception request to allow a commercial recreational-vehicle park with 205 campsites on a 258-acre parcel on Lebanon Road at Lake Lebanon.

County staff told commissioners the application (SC25-0004) requests a commercial RV campground of 205 campsites on a 258-acre A-1 (general agricultural) parcel and that staff finds the request consistent with the comprehensive plan and surrounding zoning if recommended conditions are imposed. Staff said the proposal includes 110 park-model RV sites, 41 pull-through sites and 54 back-in sites, and that park-model units are built and used for seasonal or extended-stay accommodations. The staff presentation referenced zoning review under a provision cited as 90-53-22 and summarized comments from other agencies, including VDOT, the fire/rescue agency, the environmental review section and the health department.

The applicant, Lindsey Bridal, told the commission she and a partner propose to build and operate the campground as a seasonal facility that would open April 1 and close Nov. 30, with no year-round occupancy. Bridal said she expects most guests to be weekend visitors from the Richmond and Hampton Roads metropolitan areas and said she is prepared to invest $10$12 million to build the project. She said campsites would be clustered in the center of the parcel, away from adjacent residences, and that she will prohibit off-road vehicles and a range of disruptive activities. Bridal asked the commission to modify some proposed permit conditions and said she and her engineer would provide additional traffic information and coordinate with VDOT.

Residents who live near the property or along Lebanon Road and in the Bursville/Newville communities gave detailed testimony opposing the project. The primary concerns raised by multiple speakers included: - Traffic and public-safety risks on narrow local roads (speakers cited Lebanon Road, Route 10 and other connecting roads and described previous collisions and long emergency response times); - Water supply and stormwater: residents and speakers told commissioners the ponds on the property are fed by pumps and expressed concern that additional withdrawals or new wells could affect neighboring private wells and wetlands; - Sewage management and wastewater risk from seasonal and extended-stay occupancy, especially if "park-model" units were used as de facto permanent residences; - Noise, light and visual impacts, including generators and late-night use of recreational facilities such as a clubhouse; several residents said a clearcut on the property removed an existing tree buffer; - Enforcement and operational concerns, including whether a manager would be on-site, how the county would enforce a 30-day limit referenced in county code, and whether the campground would create transient or McKinney-Vento school enrollments; - Environmental impacts to Wards Creek and wildlife and uncertainty about required permits from state agencies.

Speakers said they provided the commission a petition in opposition containing 121 signatures and multiple written letters; staff confirmed those documents were in the commissionpacket. Staff also reported that no written comments were received before the staff report was published but that comments and the petition were submitted after publication and are part of the record.

On technical and agency matters, staff reported: - VDOT indicated a commercial entrance will be required and that, if turn lanes are warranted, they would be required at site-plan review; VDOT raised no objection to the public-hearing stage; - The county fire/rescue entity recommended conditions concerning water availability and emergency access and said it had toured the property with the applicant; the applicant said she agreed to the recommendations; - Environmental review noted the project will require multiple state and federal permits for land disturbance, stormwater management and wetlands if constructed; - The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) told staff it is awaiting well and septic applications and campground plan review and permit applications prior to construction or occupancy; - The schools office provided a statement that it strongly prefers campground occupants not enroll in Prince George County schools where legally permissible because of capacity concerns.

Several residents cited specific local code sections and county practice in public comment: County Code 50-71 (definition of recreational vehicle park), 50-76 (unit-space rental/30-day limit) and related code provisions on registration and supervision of occupants were cited during testimony and used to argue the county must ensure enforcement if the use is permitted.

At the close of public testimony, commissioners did not take a final vote on the special-exception application during the hearing recorded in the transcript; staff and the applicant said they would provide additional materials (traffic information and clarifying language for a condition the applicant contested). The planning commission's recommendation on a special exception is advisory; if the commission forwards a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, that body will hold a subsequent public hearing and decide whether to approve or deny the special exception.

Why this matters: the commission's recommendation will shape whether the Board of Supervisors conducts its own public hearing on a large seasonal campground that residents say could change traffic patterns, affect groundwater and require multiple state permits. The record shows multiple outstanding technical questions (water availability, septic/well approvals, VDOT entrance and turn-lane warrants) and intense local opposition.

What happens next: staff and the applicant agreed to submit additional materials (traffic information and proposed condition language) and the commission will consider the record and any updated staff analysis before making a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. No final county approvals or building permits have been issued as of the Sept. 25 hearing.