Planning commission recommends approval of Louisa Properties CUP for equipment sales and contractor shop

The Louisa County Planning Commission recommended approval of CUP 2025-01, a conditional use permit request to allow equipment sales and rental plus a contractor’s office and shop on two commercially zoned parcels on Louisa Road (Route 22) near the Trevillian area.

Staff summary: Kayla Casamano, associate planner, told commissioners the applicant, Louisa Properties LR 1.5 and LR 2.5 LLC (owner James Weber), proposes to retain an existing structure and add a 4,000-square-foot building on a combined 4.0812-acre site zoned C-2 and designated rural. The plan shows a new commercial entrance off Route 33, multiple gravel outdoor storage areas, and retention of a vegetative buffer behind the site to protect the Trevillian Station Battlefield. Staff said the proposed uses support local agricultural and contractor needs and that impacts on county public facilities would be minimal.

Public comment and applicant presentation: The applicant’s planner, Kelsey Schlein of Schimpf Engineering, described the site as an existing commercial cluster with good sight distance and said the business would support the agricultural economy. Owner representatives said they were cleaning and refurbishing the existing building and planned exterior materials and landscaping. Neighbor concerns at a March 12 neighborhood meeting focused on maintaining the vegetative buffer behind the property; staff recommended conditions addressing that buffer.

Commission action and conditions: Commissioner Percy moved to recommend approval with the eight conditions recommended by staff; a second was made and the motion passed on a roll-call vote. Staff noted an administrative setback-waiver process is being pursued separately and that architectural standards are not required outside the county’s growth areas. The record also notes that phase-3 zoning amendments (including landscape-plan process changes) were tabled by the Board of Supervisors and will return to the board after further review.

What the approval covers: The CUP approval covers the proposed contractor office/shop and equipment sales/rental on the parcels shown in the application and carries the recommended conditions that address buffers, site plan review and other development standards. Any required VDOT entrance approvals and an administrative waiver for a 20% setback reduction remain subject to separate review.