Planning commission forwards short-term rental permit for 151 Valley Road to Board of Supervisors

The Warren County Planning Commission voted on Dec. 11 to forward a conditional use permit application for a short-term tourist rental at 151 Valley Road to the Board of Supervisors with staff-recommended conditions.

Planning staff told the commission the applicant, Amber R. Jones, acquired the property from her father and seeks to use it for short-term lodging when she and her family are not occupying it. Staff noted the dwelling (built in 1981) had received a notice of violation in September 2024 for advertising and operating a short-term rental without an approved permit and said there are no other active short-term-rental CUPs in the Green Hill Forest subdivision. Staff described recommended conditions that would be attached to a permit, including compliance with Warren County health and building inspections and the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, issuance of a certificate of zoning only after approved health-department records, annual well-water testing for E. coli and coliform with results provided to planning and health departments, and septic servicing every five years with documentation submitted to the planning department.

"The applicant would like to make the property available for short term lodging for visitors seeking to experience Warren County while she and her family are not using the property," planning staff said during the public hearing. The staff presentation also noted a health-department occupancy certificate limiting the property to a maximum of six occupants.

Applicant Amber Rogers Jones addressed the commission, saying she and her husband are local and that using the property as an Airbnb is the most practical way to preserve the home they purchased from her father. "So we want to leave the property in the condition that he left it... And so it's very special to us. Don't ever plan to sell it. And so the only way to do that is to probably utilize it as a short term tourist rental," Jones said.

Commissioners discussed boundary markers and post-approval enforcement procedures; planning staff said proof of marked boundaries must be provided before issuing a certificate of zoning and reminded the public that a special-use permit may be revoked if neighbors submit ongoing complaints. After discussion, a commissioner moved to forward the application to the Board of Supervisors with the conditions recommended by staff; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.

The commission's action is advisory; the Board of Supervisors will take the final action and is expected to consider the application approximately a month after the planning commission's recommendation.