Poquoson planners review conditional-use request for indoor gun range, debate road easement to Alpha Street

Thomas Hirsch, planning staff, presented a conditional-use permit application for a mixed-use building that would include an indoor gun range, retail space, professional offices and a gunsmithing area on a parcel in the city’s Village Commercial (VC) District.

Hirsch said the application before the commission is a new submittal after the property changed hands and was advertised for public hearing. He described the phase‑1 layout: a central “cornerstone” with retail and offices and a north wing containing two shooting ranges (including 25‑yard, bayed lanes on a second level and an open training range on the first level). He said an additional southern wing is shown on applicant materials but is not part of the current request.

Why it matters: The parcel is identified in the city’s comprehensive plan as an important connector to Alpha Street; commissioners focused on whether the applicant would convey right of way that would allow a future public road that could improve connectivity and…