Planning commission backs rezoning to allow micro‑processing facility at Smith Ferry Road

The Southampton County Planning Commission on its February agenda recommended that the Board of Supervisors rezone 0.75 acres at 34574 Smith Ferry Road from R‑2 residential to conditional M‑2 general industrial and approve a conditional‑use permit to allow a USDA micro‑processing facility on part of a 4.7‑acre parcel.

Applicant Christine Sullivan told the commission the proposed facility would operate as a USDA slaughter/processing site serving domesticated animals and wild game in separate areas of a single building. Sullivan said the business would partner with Hunters for the Hungry and local food banks, including Western Tidewater and Eastern Tidewater food banks and Family Fraternity, to supply donated meat to local distribution programs.

Commission staff Jay Randolph described the application (rezoning/conditional use permit 2025‑01) and noted site constraints including a driveway off U.S. Route 258 with limited sight lines and tight internal circulation. Randolph recommended circulation and parking improvements to provide safe access for truck‑and‑trailer traffic.

Supporters told the commission the facility would meet strong local demand. Christian Leeds, who identified himself as director of product sourcing for a regional food bank, said regional processors are booked out for more than a year and that adding local capacity would increase food distributed to residents. Barbara Harris of Family Fraternity said her group serves thousands of county residents and praised the applicant’s work delivering vacuum‑sealed donated meat to clients.

Sullivan described operational safeguards the applicant says she already has in hand: USDA review of building plans; a holding area required by USDA for animals that might show signs of disease; on‑site coolers and weekly removal of offal in sealed drums; and same‑day processing with no overnight holding except for the USDA holding pen if required. She told the commission she can process about “12 deer completely…from drop off to shrink‑wrap” in a day as a single operator and could double output with more staff, and she noted a five‑employee cap under the micro‑facility conditions she is pursuing.

Commission members pressed the applicant on specifics. Commissioners and staff discussed proposed conditions packaged with the application, including operating hours, wastewater handling, waste removal, and vehicle circulation. A commissioner asked that regular processing be limited to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. but extended to 9 p.m. during deer hunting season; Sullivan agreed to the seasonal extension and the commission included that change in its recommendation. Commissioners also asked the applicant to agree to enlarge the concrete pad if needed and to address sight‑line and parking improvements prior to site plan review.

The commission added a narrower limit on the applicant’s proposed incinerator: members amended the draft condition to specify that any on‑site incinerator be sized to handle animal remains (a maximum footprint the commission described as approximately 10 feet by 10 feet) and be limited to disposal of animal carcasses rather than other industrial uses. The applicant agreed to that amendment.

With those conditions in place, the commission voted to recommend the rezoning and conditional‑use permit to the Board of Supervisors. Planning staff said the board will receive the commission’s recommendation and that any site‑plan or building permits will be reviewed by county inspectors and by USDA requirements at subsequent stages.

The commission’s action was a recommendation; final approval and building/permitting remain with the Board of Supervisors and county permitting authorities. Randolph said the conditional‑use permit and technical site plan review would govern employee counts, setbacks, wastewater handling, waste pickup frequency, and other operational details before the facility can open.

The commission’s packet lists the application as a dual request (rezoning + conditional use permit, application 2025‑01). The applicant provided letters of support from local food banks and stated intent to work with Hunters for the Hungry; opponents did not appear during this item.