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Board approves short-term rental at Garrett Farm Road with occupancy limit to 2.475 acres
Summary
The Board approved Special Exception 2025-113 to allow a short-term tourist rental at 146 Garrett Farm Road with conditions including recorded plat, adherence to Section 9-16, and an explicit restriction that occupants be limited to the 2.475-acre lot.
The Amherst County Board of Supervisors approved Special Exception 2025-113 to allow a short-term tourist rental at 146 Garrett Farm Road after a staff presentation and a unanimous recommendation from the Planning Commission.
Staff member Creasy described the property as formerly part of a larger 163-acre parcel that was recently subdivided; the petition before the board applied to a 2.475-acre parcel containing the renovated dwelling. Creasy said the parcel is zoned A-1 (agriculture/residential), that the Planning Commission recommended approval 6–0 with five conditions, and that staff proposed a sixth condition to explicitly restrict all occupants of the short-term rental to the 2.475-acre parcel as shown on the recorded subdivision plat dated June 26, 2025.
Creasy told the board that VDOT had no comment because the driveway is on a private road and that the county fire marshal raised no concerns. Creasy also said the final subdivision plat with the revised date of 06/26/2025 had been recorded before issuance of a zoning permit, satisfying one of the Planning Commission’s conditions.
Two nearby property owners — Steven Crowder (Madison District) and Travis Klaus (Elon District) — spoke in favor of the petition, saying they regularly pass the house and supported its renovation and use as a short-term rental. The petitioner’s representative, identified by the board as Mr. Coleman, attended to answer questions; the applicant was absent due to a medical procedure.
A board member asked how the property boundary would be enforced; Creasy said Section 9-16 of the county zoning ordinance requires short-term rentals to clearly mark the permitted area by fence or property-line markers and staff recommended the additional condition to make that restriction explicit in the approval.
A motion to approve Special Exception 2025-113 with the noted condition passed by voice vote. The board’s approval included the Planning Commission’s five conditions plus the staff-recommended sixth condition explicitly restricting rental occupants to the 2.475-acre parcel. A board member confirmed the property’s lodging tax remittance obligation would be followed.
Why it matters: The decision authorizes a short-term tourist rental use in an A-1 agricultural/residential zone with explicit conditions meant to limit impacts on adjoining property and to ensure zoning and permitting requirements from Section 9-16 are met.
What happens next: Zoning permit issuance is contingent on satisfied conditions; the recorded subdivision plat dated 06/26/2025 was already in the file as required by the Planning Commission’s condition.
