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Poquoson council postpones decision on proposed multi‑use facility, sets ARB review and site‑plan requirements
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Summary
Council postponed a conditional‑use permit for a proposed multi‑use facility that would include an indoor gun range, gun‑smithing, firearm manufacturing and small retail, and required the applicant to obtain architectural-review-board approvals and submit a conceptual site plan before reconsideration on Sept. 22, 2025; the motion passed 7–0.
Poquoson City Council held a public hearing on March 24, 2025, on a conditional‑use permit application from applicant Joe Raffles (I O V A, LLC) seeking to operate a multi‑use facility at 300 City Hall Avenue that would include an indoor gun range, gunsmithing and firearm manufacturing, retail, office and classroom space.
Planning staff described the application, the site and recommended conditions tied to the Village Commercial (VC) zoning district. Principal planner Thomas Canela explained the conceptual layout, the proposed rear parking orientation, and a semi‑subgrade 100‑yard rifle bay; he summarized code considerations and listed conditions the planning commission recommended, including noise limits and a proposed conveyance of 40 feet for a future right‑of‑way connection to Alpha Street.
Several council members and members of the public questioned building orientation, emergency access, elevation/height, and whether the applicant would provide full architectural elevations and a site plan. Applicant Joe Raffles said the conceptual plans were to scale but asked not to be required to convey property for a future road as a precondition; Raffles said the lot was the best available option for the proposed facility and described noise‑mitigation measures and the below‑grade rifle bay design.
Council action: after the public hearing the council approved a resolution to postpone consideration of the CUP until the council's regular meeting on Sept. 22, 2025, and to require the applicant to obtain Architectural Review Board (ARB) approval of exterior elevations (for all planned phases) and to submit a conceptual site plan showing ingress/egress, property lines, building orientation and dimensions, parking and landscaping, plus additional details on the above‑ground portion of the 100‑yard bay before council reconsideration. The council also revised the planning commission condition related to the 40‑foot conveyance to tie any conveyance to the city's decision to fund and approve a roadway extension. The motion passed on a roll call vote, 7–0.
Votes at a glance: the meeting also recorded routine approvals and appointments in separate motions that passed unanimously: approval of minutes for the March 10, 2025 work session (7–0) and the March 10, 2025 regular session (7–0); and the appointment of Greg Brooks to the Architectural Review Board (7–0). The CUP postponement resolution passed 7–0.
Why it matters: the proposed use raised zoning, traffic, architectural and noise concerns because the parcel sits adjacent to City Hall Avenue and the new public safety building in the Village Commercial district; council and neighbors sought detailed, to‑scale architectural and site drawings to judge building massing, visibility from the avenue, pedestrian connections, emergency access and sound mitigation before a final decision.
Next steps: council set a target reconsideration date of Sept. 22, 2025, and asked staff to return the application for action only after the applicant completes ARB review and provides the conceptual site plan and the other materials requested in the resolution. If the applicant does not submit a phase‑1 site development plan by July 1, 2026 (as in the planning commission conditions), the CUP would become null and void.
