Votes at a glance: Amherst supervisors approve rezoning, welding shop, CDBG application and ordinance amendment

The Amherst County Board of Supervisors took a series of administrative and land-use votes at its Aug. 19 meeting, approving several routine and higher-profile items while separately denying a 5-megawatt solar special exception (see separate coverage).

Key approvals included a rezoning to allow a double-wide home, a special-exception permit for a small welding business, county action to submit a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application for South Madison Heights infrastructure, and an ordinance amendment to align transient-occupancy tax rules with recent state law.

Rezoning for manufactured home (Case 2025-337)

- What passed: The board approved rezoning petition 2025-337, filed by John Tomlin, to reclassify about 17 acres from R-1 (limited residential) to R-2 (general residential) so the owner may place a double-wide manufactured home on the parcel (tax map 139-A-45). Planning staff and the planning commission recommended approval, noting similar uses (double-wides, manufactured homes) exist on nearby parcels. - Vote: Motion carried (voice vote); no opposition recorded on the transcript.

Welding business special exception (Case 2025-354)

- What passed: The board approved special exception 2025-354 to allow an existing pole-barn conversion to a welding and metal-service shop on a parcel zoned A-1 (tax map 110-2-1). Applicant William Casey said the shop would employ three people and undergo a change-of-use permitting process with building inspections and VDH where applicable. The planning commission recommended approval with nine standard conditions, including lighting limits, building permits and limits on expansion beyond 25% without further board approval. - Vote: Motion carried; approval recorded by the board.

CDBG application — South Madison Heights (Resolution 2025-13-R)

- What passed: The board approved submission of a CDBG application seeking up to $2 million to fund multi-phase infrastructure upgrades in the South Madison Heights/Lakeland subdivision area, including assistance with sewer connection fees and sidewalk/street-like installations. Central Virginia Planning District Commission staff said the defined project area includes roughly 57 homes (about 53% qualifying as low-to-moderate income by HUD LMI mapping). No displacement is planned. - Vote: Board approved the resolution to apply for the grant.

Transient-occupancy tax ordinance amendment (Ordinance 2025-3)

- What passed: The board adopted an amendment to bring the county transient-occupancy tax ordinance into compliance with state legislation clarifying that third-party intermediaries (platforms that collect payments)…