Greensville planning commission recommends denying outdoor shooting range permit after hours-long public hearing

The Greensville County Planning Commission voted to recommend denial of a special use permit for a proposed private outdoor shooting range operated by Virginia Tactical Shooting Academy, after residents raised recurring concerns about noise, safety and environmental impacts during a lengthy public hearing.

The commission voted 7-1 with one abstention on a motion “to deny the project because it will adversely affect the health, safety, or welfare of persons residing or working in the neighborhood of the proposed use,” and added that noise would be a nuisance to nearby properties. The recommendation now goes to the Greensville County Board of Supervisors for final action at its July meeting.

Why it matters: The proposed range would be on two adjoining parcels on Goose Pond Road (tax parcels described in the staff report as 382 D, 33 acres, and 382 E, 16.5 acres) in the county’s A-1 Agricultural District. Neighbors said regular weekend firing would interrupt family life and church services, potentially affect property values and could pose risks to wetlands and groundwater if lead is not managed. The commission framed its decision under the county’s zoning rules, which allow outdoor shooting ranges only by special use permit and only when the use “would not be detrimental to the community.”

In staff’s presentation, planning staff summarized the…