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Loudoun County Board of Zoning Appeals grants temporary compliance periods, approves variances and special exception for distribution yard
Summary
The Board of Zoning Appeals granted a 90‑day compliance period for a property with accessory structures and campers, gave a 30‑day deadline to another property owner to obtain a building permit or sell, approved multiple setback variances and a special exception for a masonry distribution yard that may see tractor‑trailer traffic.
The Loudoun County Board of Zoning Appeals on an unspecified date granted short compliance windows and approved a set of variances and a special exception during a meeting that included contested enforcement cases.
The board granted property owners Emily and Devin Collins a 90‑day period to return with a plan to bring the property into compliance after staff documented two campers occupied without permits and an accessory metal shed built without permits. The Collins family said the property has become subject to divorce proceedings that have complicated their ability to complete construction; a family representative said they intended to become compliant but that the divorce altered their timeline. Planning staff noted that typical grace periods are “not granted more than about 3 to 6 months” and recommended a short compliance timeline; the board set 90 days and required the owners to return with an update.
In a separate appeal the board gave property owner Charles Bentley 30 days to obtain a building permit for a Clayton home or face enforcement action; Bentley said he was in the process of obtaining a permit and said if he could not do so the property would be put up for sale.
The board approved a special exception for a distribution yard and limited retail sale (masonry products) for General Shell (application presented by Russ Edens and Terry Beverly) at a site behind a fireworks stand on Hickory Creek Road. Edens told the board the existing site has operated as tractor‑trailer storage and that the proposed use is to store and distribute block and brick; he estimated roughly “about 20 tractor trailers a day and then probably 15 or 20 pickup trucks.” The board approved the special exception subject to standard conditions and a required site plan to address stormwater and circulation; a stormwater pond enlargement and internal asphalt circulation were described by the applicant as part of mitigation.
Other board actions included approvals of rear and side yard setback variances (examples: Christian Rogers at 4001 E. Lee Highway; Adam Beasley at 200 Ellis Road) and authorization of an accessory nonconforming use expansion for Creekside Heritage (Ted Walker/Polk). The board also approved a front yard variance for a modular home on North Trigonia Road due to topography.
Why it matters: the Collins case illustrates how enforcement intersects with family and permitting timelines; the 90‑day window gives the owners time but requires follow‑up. The General Shell special exception brings a distribution/retail use to a site with existing truck activity; the applicant’s estimate of tractor‑trailer volumes highlights circulation and neighborhood concerns that were raised during discussion.
What happens next: property owners given compliance windows must return with progress updates or permits as required; the General Shell site will proceed to site plan review and stormwater permitting before operations expand as proposed.
