Board approves small rezoning in Amelia Courthouse but rejects tow-lot text amendment

The Amelia County Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning request to change approximately 0.3 acres of a parcel in the Amelia Courthouse Town Center from R-1 (residential) to B-1 (business). The parcel is part of a larger 1.5-acre property the applicant identified as Good Deed LLC.

During the staff presentation, county planning staff said the site sits within the Amelia Courthouse Town Center on the county comprehensive plan map and that rezoning to B-1 would be consistent with adjacent and nearby properties. Staff recommended approval of the rezoning and also recommended a separate text amendment to the zoning ordinance to add a new use definition and allow tow lots in the B-1 district by special exception; the planning commission had recommended approval of both items, with the tow-lot use allowed by special exception.

Several residents spoke during public comment in opposition to adding tow lots in the downtown main-street area. Martin Conkle said the village is "finally getting some nice things here" and that a tow lot on the main drag would be counterproductive to recent private investment. He also said wrecked vehicles can remain under investigation for months and that a 30-day storage limit may not be realistic in practice.

Board discussion distinguished the two actions. Members noted that approving a text amendment to allow tow lots countywide in B-1 would be different from approving a specific special-exception permit for a specific property; several supervisors emphasized that the text amendment could allow tow lots in B-1 across the county if adopted, whereas a special-exception process allows site-specific conditions.

The board voted to approve the rezoning from R-1 to B-1 for the cited 0.3-acre area. Later in the meeting, the board voted to deny the zoning ordinance text amendment that would have added tow lots to the B-1 district. Supervisors cited concerns about compatibility with the courthouse main street and enforcement of time limits on stored vehicles.

Staff said if the board had approved the text amendment, the applicant would still have to pursue a special-exception permit to operate a tow lot; the ordinance language proposed by staff included a definition limiting storage to 30 days and requiring stored vehicles to be operable and not dismantled.

The rezoning and the text amendment were considered in separate votes. The rezoning motion passed (voice vote; "motion carries"), and the text amendment denial also passed by voice vote.

No specific conditions or financial terms were attached to the rezoning; staff noted the rezoning was not conditional zoning (no proffers).