Planning commission approves ATV repair shop, tiny home and 250-foot communications tower with conditions

The Mecklenburg County Planning Commission approved three separate land-use applications during its meeting: a special-exception to operate an ATV repair shop, a special exception for a tiny home residence on an individual parcel, and a 250-foot self-supporting communications tower proposed by Towercom VB LLC.

For the ATV repair shop, a representative of the applicant described the business as a small operation with limited hours and traffic. Planning staff read recommended conditions into the record requiring compliance with VDOT commercial entrance requirements, proper drainage (stone entrance), screening of repairable vehicles behind a privacy fence, and disposal of fluids in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency standards. A commissioner moved to approve the application; the motion carried on a voice vote.

A subsequent special-exception request for a tiny home on a parcel on Sandy Fork Road had no public speakers; the commission moved and approved that application on the finding it would not be detrimental to public welfare, health or safety. The applicant was not present to speak.

The commission then considered a request by Towercom VB LLC (project representative identified as Mike Heisinga, GSS project manager, speaking on behalf of Powercom) for a 250-foot communication tower on land zoned agriculture near Old Cox Road. Heisinga said the tower would be a self-supporting lattice structure, is being planned initially for T-Mobile and is structurally capable of accommodating up to four carriers. He said the nearest existing tower is about 1.2 miles away and that the tower would require FAA lighting.

A commissioner moved to approve the tower application with multiple preconditions: submission of satisfactory SHPO documentation; final construction drawings certified by a Virginia professional engineer; provision of an FAA aeronautical study official determination of no hazard (aeronautical study number 2024-AEA-7776-OE); and installation of a dual lighting system (medium-intensity white flashing lights for daytime/twilight and flashing red lights for nighttime). The motion also required measures to minimize wildlife intrusion and to meet other county and VDOT requirements prior to issuance of building permits. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Raymond and carried on a voice vote.

The commission’s staff report and the motions for the small-business and tiny-home applications included typical conditions on site drainage, VDOT access, and screening; those conditions were read into the record at the meeting. The commission did not record detailed member-by-member tallies for the ATV, tiny-home or tower approvals; each motion was carried by voice vote as recorded in the meeting minutes.