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Planning commission recommends approval for Panhandle Road campground after applicant narrows proposal to 100 campsites
Summary
After months of review and a required VDOT entrance plan, the Planning Commission voted to forward a campground CUP for properties on Panhandle Road with a revised maximum of 100 campsites; the applicant said initial buildout will start with 10 sites and expand gradually.
The Warren County Planning Commission voted to forward a conditional‑use permit application for a campground on Panhandle Road to the Board of Supervisors, recommending approval with an amended cap of 100 campsites.
The applicants, Carl and Jennifer I., applied for a campground spanning multiple parcels identified on tax map 35. After the commission previously tabled the matter to allow the applicants to address Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) entrance requirements and reconsider the total number of campsites, the applicants informed staff they would strike a requested waiver to exceed the county’s 100‑campsite limit and proceed with a maximum of 100 sites.
At the meeting applicant Carl I. presented slides describing riverfront issues that motivated the application. He said the family owns riverfront acreage and has experienced unauthorized camping, trespass and debris on the property. “By putting these down closer to the river, we get some eyes on, so to speak,” he told commissioners, describing investments in gate and entrance improvements and an entrance plan submitted to VDOT. He said VDOT provided initial comments but had not fully approved the plan; he pledged to comply with VDOT’s permit conditions.
Carl I. said his near‑term plan is modest: “First 10 will come out. It'll be 6 primitive, 2 tiny homes ... and then we might do a glamping pod or 2 to get us to 10.” He described potential future expansion if revenue supports it. He detailed estimated costs for wells, septic systems and tiny homes, and said the family spends money locally on engineering and site improvements.
Staff told commissioners that the applicant had worked with VDOT, submitted an entrance plan and received comments from VDOT but had not yet obtained final VDOT approval. During discussion staff and commissioners noted that VDOT and state agency review timelines are often the longest part of the approval process and that applicants must meet agency conditions.
The Planning Commission approved a motion forwarding the application with the amendment to 100 campsites and the standard conditions recommended by staff. The motion was approved by voice vote and will be scheduled for Board of Supervisors consideration.
