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Williams' rezoning request for Lawnscapes parcel moves ahead in workshop; applicant says restroom/septic work is pending
Summary
Michael and Rachel Williams requested a rezoning of parcel 55-35I from A-1 to B-1 to regularize existing landscaping equipment storage; planning staff said the use is already present and rezoning would bring the site into compliance. The applicants told commissioners they have engaged a septic designer and plan a porta-john during peak season.
Michael Williams and Rachel Williams asked the Madison County Planning Commission during a second workshop to rezone a 9-plus–acre parcel (tax map 55-35I) from A-1 (agriculture) to B-1 (business), saying the site currently garages landscape equipment used by their business.
Allen Nichols, planning staff, said the zoning change would bring an existing business activity into compliance because the use is allowed in B-1 but not A-1. Nichols noted the parcel sits along the Route 29 corridor and is consistent with other commercial activity nearby.
Commissioners discussed practical site concerns raised by the use, including restroom and septic arrangements for employees or drivers. Applicant Michael Williams told the commission that during the summer the company places a porta-john on site during busy periods and that his contractor has prepared septic plans and will submit them to the county when the company proceeds with permanent facilities.
Commissioners also asked about traffic and access. The parcel is served by an existing paved access that crosses an adjacent A-1 parcel under a recorded easement. Commissioners noted the easement is a civil property matter between landowners; staff said the 50-foot recorded access should accommodate typical B-1 traffic but that higher-intensity uses would require a VDOT entrance review and a site plan.
No final action was taken; the case remains in workshop. Staff said they will follow up with the applicant on septic submissions and confirm whether any site-plan elements will trigger VDOT or health-department review before a public hearing.
Ending: The commission agreed the parcel is appropriate for B-1 rezoning along the 29 corridor but requested documentation on septic and clarified that any future intensification will require VDOT and building-code approvals.
