Greensville supervisors decline special-use permit for private outdoor shooting range after hours, safety and environmental concerns

The Greensville County Board of Supervisors heard testimony Aug. 4 on a special-use permit application from the Virginia Tactical Shooting Academy to establish a private outdoor shooting range on two parcels (tax map Parcels 382D and 382E). The board considered a motion to approve the permit with modified hours and safety conditions, but after extended public comment the motion did not receive board approval. The issue generated multiple public-safety, noise and environmental concerns from nearby residents and a staff report that flagged wetlands and state permit requirements.

The proposed range would use roughly 2 acres of one parcel for a firing area approximately 150 feet wide by 300 feet deep. Planning staff told the board that the property is zoned A‑1 (agricultural) and that outdoor shooting ranges are allowed in that district only with a special-use permit. The staff report said soil and water contamination from lead deposition and range noise were the primary concerns and that the site lies near wetlands identified on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands Inventory.

“By implementing appropriate lead…