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Commission backs special exception allowing contractor yards and auto repair at Burke Lane site
Summary
The planning commission recommended the Board of Supervisors approve a Category 32 special exception to allow contractor office/shop and material storage yards and an auto repair facility at two commercial buildings on Burke Lane south of Warrenton, with operational limits and screening conditions.
Fauquier County planning staff presented a Category 32 special exception request to allow two commercial uses at properties at 7159 and 7185 Burke Lane, south of Warrenton, and the planning commission recommended approval to the Board of Supervisors with staff conditions.
Cara Marshall said the combined site is just over 6.5 acres and has been used for commercial purposes since 1979. The application seeks to allow a contractor’s office and shop with two roughly 1-acre material storage yards behind the existing 2,800-square-foot building at 7159 Burke Lane, and an auto repair use in an existing four-bay, approximately 8,500-square-foot building at 7185 Burke Lane. Marshall said the uses were added to the zoning ordinance in 2024 to permit limited commercial uses on RA-5 properties historically used for commercial purposes.
Staff described operational limits and conditions: each use would have a maximum of 10 employees (combined on-site employees not to exceed 20), hours limited to 7 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday–Saturday, all material and vehicle storage screened from view, vehicle storage restricted to paved parking areas only, auto repair work confined to the building (auto body repair and painting prohibited), proper disposal of petroleum products, and required building improvements such as oil/water separators prior to commencement of auto repair operations. The applicant also requested three years to establish the uses instead of the one year allowed by ordinance; staff noted the Board of Supervisors may approve a longer establishment period as a condition of the special exception.
Greg Ashwell, attorney for the applicant, said the change followed a 2024 zoning text amendment and the sale/relocation of a nursery that previously occupied the site; he noted interest from industrial users and said outdoor storage combined with an office or shop better fits market demand. The applicant estimated deliveries and customer visits in small daily numbers and proposed screening and buffering measures.
Commissioners moved and seconded a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors for approval with the staff-recommended conditions; the motion passed by voice vote during the meeting. The Board of Supervisors will make the final decision and will consider the recommended conditions and any required site plan review.
