Planning commission tables Herndon RV-park special-use permit over unresolved access, VDOT concerns

The Buckingham County Planning Commission on September 22 voted to table consideration of case 25SUP360, a special-use permit request to operate a 14–20 space RV campground on Tax Map 16 Parcel 37, after commissioners said the applicant had not resolved legal access and VDOT had flagged the existing entrance as noncompliant.

The item, filed for Hunter Herndon and presented by Alan Troy Herndon (who said he owns the property and is representing the family), was the subject of a staff presentation and public comment. Planning staff read VDOT’s written determination into the record: “The existing condition of the current access is not in compliance with VDOT standards for an RV park entrance with an anticipated build out of 15 to 20 sites per the applicant,” the staff member said, quoting Brian Locker, assistant resident engineer for VDOT.

The commission’s deliberations focused on whether the applicant had legal access across an adjoining parcel. Alan Troy Herndon told the commission he and his family have used and maintained a route to the property for nearly 20 years and that “that thing that you're looking at there was approved by the county in 2007,” citing a prior conversation with staff.

Commissioners said VDOT’s requirement for entrance improvements and a land-use permit means documented easement or permission from the adjacent landowner must be in hand before the county forwards a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. Several commissioners said the commission could hold a public hearing but preferred to table the request until the access issue was formally resolved. One commissioner moved to table “until he can get this right of way squared away”; another seconded. The motion passed. The commission did not record a roll-call vote in the transcript.

The applicant was advised to coordinate with the adjoining landowner, obtain any necessary easement or written access agreement, and follow up with the county and the Farmville VDOT residency regarding permit requirements and entrance improvements. Planning staff also noted that VDOT will evaluate the extent of required improvements at the time of permit issuance.

No formal vote on the special-use permit itself occurred; instead the commission’s action was to table the application pending evidence of legal access and VDOT clearance. Staff told the applicant that, if the access documentation is provided early enough to meet advertising deadlines, the item could return to the commission at the next monthly meeting; otherwise it would be scheduled for a later meeting.