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Board approves special exception for small, outpatient veterinarian clinic on Peters Hollow Road
Summary
The Amherst County Board of Supervisors approved special exception 2025-209 to allow a private, outpatient veterinary clinic at 351 Peters Hollow Road with conditions including no overnight boarding, no signage, a 576-square-foot size limit and compliance with VDOT and fire-marshal access standards.
The Amherst County Board of Supervisors voted to approve special exception 2025-209, permitting a private, outpatient veterinarian clinic at 351 Peters Hollow Road (tax map 93-a-2) with multiple conditions, including no overnight boarding, no published office hours or commercial signage, and a cap on floor area.
County planning staff told the board the clinic is proposed by Sidney and Sharon Strosan and that the cabin-sized facility would be limited to 576 square feet, inclusive of a 192-square-foot attached deck. Staff said the use would be allowed with a special exception in the A-1 agricultural-residential district and listed recommended conditions including compliance with the Virginia Department of Health and fire access standards.
“Most of what we do is spay and neuter and other little surgeries and dentals and other procedures that require that kind of a facility,” applicant Sid Strosan said, describing the intended operation as a small, shelter- and rescue‑oriented practice serving mostly cats and small dogs. Strosan told the board he and his wife intend limited, mostly non‑advertised services and said they already work with Amherst Humane Society and Amherst Animal Control.
Staff and the board discussed site-access requirements. The Virginia Department of Transportation review indicated the entrance must meet low-volume commercial entrance standards; the county fire marshal identified requirements for driveway width, vertical clearance (13 feet 6 inches), surface and turnaround areas. Strosan said he will widen the existing gate and add crushed aggregate and expects to install a septic system and a 100-amp service panel if needed.
Planning commission staff recommended approval with the conditions referenced at the public hearing. A motion to approve the planning commission’s recommendation for special exception 2025-209 carried on voice vote.
Why this matters: The vote allows a small, locally based veterinary service aimed at low-cost and rescue work near Peters Hollow; the board added conditions intended to limit impacts on neighbors and public safety requirements for emergency access.
Clarifying details: The approved conditions reported at the hearing included meeting VDOT entrance standards, meeting all Virginia Department of Health requirements, meeting the county fire marshal’s access standards (12-foot road bed, 13 ft 6 in vertical clearance, 6-inch crushed aggregate, provision for turnaround and 12-foot gate), issuance of a certificate of occupancy for change of use, a maximum clinic size of 576 square feet (including a 192-square-foot deck), no overnight animal boarding and no published office hours or commercial signage. Planning staff said two letters of support were on file prior to the hearing.
Speakers at the hearing included county planning staff and applicant Sid Strosan. The board recorded the motion to approve at the public meeting and no board member requested further delay.
