Warren County approves multiple short-term rental permits and adopts new rules to expire dormant CUPs

FRONT ROYAL, Va. — On March 18, 2025, the Warren County Board of Supervisors approved a series of conditional use permits (CUPs) allowing short-term tourist rentals and related land-use changes and adopted a zoning amendment that establishes an expiration process for dormant CUPs.

The board voted to approve CUPs for properties in the Shenandoah Farms subdivision and other parts of the county, including permits that set occupancy limits enforced by the county health department. The board also approved a zoning text amendment that requires the zoning administrator to notify permit holders when a permitted use has not been established or appears abandoned and gives permit holders 60 days to request an extension; a $100 fee will apply to extension requests. The ordinance allows the board to deny expiration extension requests and prevents reapplication for substantially the same CUP for six months after denial.

The zoning amendment was presented by county planning staff and was described as addressing long‑standing enforcement and administrative gaps. Planning staff said the expiration procedures will apply where a permitted use has not been established within three calendar years or where a permitted use has been abandoned for three years. The planning commission recommended approval with the changes the board considered earlier in February, including lengthening the extension-notice period to 60 days and shortening the reapplication restriction to six months. The board approved the amendment by roll call vote; Supervisor Cullors voted and did not abstain on the ordinance adoption.

The board approved multiple land-use requests during the meeting: - A CUP for a one‑bedroom dwelling at 268 Vaught Drive in Shenandoah Farms, where the county health department had approved the septic system for a maximum of two occupants. The planning staff recommended approval with standard conditions: compliance with Warren County Health Department, building inspections, and the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code; annual well testing for E. coli and coliform; and septic servicing every five years. The motion to approve passed by roll call (aye votes recorded from Supervisors Cullors, Stanmeyer, Chairman Butler, Dr. Jamieson and Cook).

- A CUP for a three‑bedroom dwelling at 229 Riley Court (Shenandoah Farms) with a health‑department‑approved maximum of six occupants; the planning conditions matched those described above. The board approved the permit by roll call (ayes recorded from Supervisors Cook, Jamieson, Chairman Butler, Stanmeyer and Cullors).

- A CUP and concurrent zoning-text amendment to add "bicycle shop" as a permitted conditional use in the agricultural district for Downriver Adventure Company LLC, which acquired the Downriver Canoe Company property at 884 Indian Hollow Road. The property holds a health‑department operation permit that authorizes up to 100 patrons and six employees; the planning commission recommended approval with conditions including hours of operation, helmet provision for rentals, and parking/occupancy limits. Supervisor Cullors abstained from both the zoning-text amendment and the CUP vote because of a stated conflict (the business property is owned by family members); the remaining supervisors approved the requests.

- A CUP for an "artisan and craftsman trades facility" to allow quilting classes at a 1,200‑square‑foot accessory building. Conditions limit classes to no more than 10 students per session, require by‑appointment registration, limit fabric sales to registered students, set parking and buffer requirements, and restrict hours to 9 a.m.–5 p.m. The board approved the permit by roll call (ayes recorded from the supervisors present).

- A CUP for a family‑owned property at 5305 Goony Manor Loop (South River Magisterial District) to allow short‑term rental when the family is not using the home; the health department had approved a maximum of six occupants for the four‑bedroom dwelling. The board approved the permit by roll call.

Public comment and staff responses framed much of the discussion. Resident Lewis Moten (spelled in the record both Moten and Moton) raised concerns that a growing number of short‑term rentals could reduce the county's available long‑term housing, asked whether repeat incidents (noise, sheriff calls, over‑occupancy) at properties owned by the same operators had been documented, and asked whether the county tracks occupancy rates. Planning staff answered that CUP applications must include health‑department documentation of approved bedroom and occupant counts before the county accepts applications, and staff pointed to the county's transient‑occupancy tax reporting and to a complaint form on the planning department website that allows neighbors to report suspected CUP violations anonymously. "We make them get those comments up front," planning staff said, referring to health‑department checks.

Applicants and their representatives offered competing context. One applicant who spoke at the podium said she buys dilapidated properties, rehabilitates them and operates short‑term rentals as a business to support her family; she described it as full‑time work and said her activity had restored properties that otherwise were "unlivable." Planning staff and some supervisors noted examples where owners invested in formerly derelict houses and argued such activity can improve neighborhood condition; other speakers said a broader study of short‑term rentals and housing stock would be prudent before drawing policy lines.

The board also reviewed enforcement mechanisms: the newly adopted ordinance requires the county to send a certified notice of impending CUP expiration when a permitted use has not been established within three years or appears abandoned for three years; permit holders then have 60 days from receipt to apply for an extension. The board added a $100 extension‑application fee and required the planning commission to hold at least one public hearing before recommending termination. The ordinance cites the locality's authority under the Code of Virginia to restrict reapplications for substantially similar proposals for up to a year; the version approved limits that restriction to six months.

Supervisor Cullors noted a conflict of interest and abstained on matters tied to a family business; the abstentions were announced on the record prior to votes where applicable. Several supervisors said they would ask planning staff to study short‑term rental impacts — including effects on housing availability, tourism revenue, and code enforcement capacity — and to return with draft options.

Votes at a glance (selected items approved March 18, 2025): - CUP: 268 Vaught Drive (short‑term tourist rental) — approved (roll call recorded ayes: Cullors, Stanmeyer, Chairman Butler, Dr. Jamieson, Cook). - CUP: 229 Riley Court (short‑term tourist rental) — approved (roll call recorded ayes: Cook, Jamieson, Chairman Butler, Stanmeyer, Cullors). - Zoning amendment: add "bicycle shop" use and related text changes — approved (Supervisor Cullors abstained from the vote; remaining supervisors voted aye). - CUP: Downriver Adventure Company LLC (bicycle shop at 884 Indian Hollow Road) — approved (Supervisor Cullors abstained; remaining supervisors voted aye). - CUP: Artisan and craftsman trades facility (quilting classes) — approved (ayes recorded). - CUP: 5305 Goony Manor Loop (short‑term tourist rental) — approved (ayes recorded).

What the approvals mean in practice: each approved CUP carries the planning commission's recommended conditions (health‑department approval, occupancy limits tied to septic/health permits, periodic well and septic testing, compliance with the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code and county building code). The newly adopted ordinance gives staff and the board a formal process to expire dormant CUPs, and it adds an administrative fee for extensions.

The board directed planning staff to continue outreach with homeowner associations and to provide a clearer enforcement pathway for neighbors who file complaints; staff confirmed a web complaint form for CUP violations is available on the county planning website. Several supervisors said they want a staff study on countywide short‑term rental impacts, revenue and housing availability before policy changes beyond the adopted expiration procedures are considered.

For now the county will rely on the combination of health‑department permitting, transient occupancy tax reporting, the newly codified expiration procedures, and the complaint portal to monitor short‑term rental activity and enforce conditions attached to approved permits.

Closing note: the board's action leaves CUPs in place with the conditions approved by the planning commission; it also gives the county a new administrative route to remove permits that remain unused or abandoned for years and a short window for permit holders to request extensions.