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Campground owners press supervisors for more review after county postpones zoning overhaul to August
Summary
Owners of county campgrounds and other residents argued the proposed zoning code rewrite would impose site, stay-length and operational restrictions that could jeopardize existing and developing campgrounds. The board postponed the mass revision to Aug. 19, 2025 to allow more review and outreach.
Owners and operators of Pittsylvania County campgrounds urged the Board of Supervisors to slow down the county’s proposed comprehensive zoning overhaul and to address provisions they say would constrain campground businesses.
Jeff Lau, speaking on behalf of Pittsylvania County campgrounds, told the board that although the draft ordinance had improved in some respects it still contained language that he said must be removed or altered: administrative access to confidential customer information; strict length-of-stay limits; minimum site-size standards that would be infeasible for small RVs, tents or cabins; restrictions on merchandise allowed in camp stores; and language that could be read to prohibit parking of RVs on site. He asked that the county clarify nonconforming protections so developing campgrounds would not be penalized.
Lau reviewed the public outreach timeline presented earlier by the Berkeley Group and argued that participation had been limited; he urged the board not to act until staff provides a clear, side-by-side comparison of current zoning and proposed changes. “I challenge any board member to go through the 250 page zoning proposal and provide us with a detailed side by side comparison,” he told supervisors.
Tracy Love, who said she represented the Stony River District, thanked the board for the postponement and for prior changes to the campground language; she said the delay gave residents and owners time to continue working with planning staff on revisions.
At the start of the agenda item, staff said the draft had been advertised and that planning had met with campground stakeholders. Supervisor Bowman moved, and the board unanimously approved, postponement of the public hearing and action on the mass revision until Aug. 19, 2025, giving staff additional time to refine the text and to hold more outreach with affected stakeholders.
Planning staff and the Berkeley Group materials are in the county packet; owners requested clearer, item-by-item comparisons that explicitly cite existing code sections so affected businesses can evaluate proposed operational impacts.
Speakers asked the board to ensure that new nonconforming provisions protect campgrounds that opened under the current code and to permit reasonable operational practices such as employee or vendor-provided trash service and flexible parking rules.
