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Board allows vehicle access to Cedar Ridge barn but keeps group size at 20, adds VDOT study
Summary
After a lengthy public hearing with neighbors and members, the board amended a 2021 special‑use permit for the Southlake Spa barn: hours set to 9 a.m.–5 p.m., vehicle access from Cedar Ridge Road authorized (Cedar Bay Road remains prohibited), VDOT traffic/sight‑distance requirements added, and maximum class size kept at 20.
The Franklin County Board of Supervisors approved amendments to a 2021 special‑use permit allowing the Southlake Spa barn to receive vehicle access from Cedar Ridge Road while imposing new conditions on hours, group size and transportation safety.
Planning staff explained the original SUP limited club activities to 20 people, prohibited vehicle access from Cedar Ridge and Cedar Bay roads, and required several building‑safety items before operation. The applicant asked to amend condition 4 (class hours) and condition 6 (vehicle access) to permit entry from Cedar Ridge and to raise the group limit from 20 to 30.
Tom Basham, a resident and civil engineer who spoke for the applicants, told the board the barn is a low‑intensity, locally used wellness site and that safety and accessibility issues—particularly for older or mobility‑limited members—justify vehicle access from the gravel driveway off Cedar Ridge. "This is a very ultra low intensive use. It's a quiet use. It's a community use," Basham said.
Multiple neighbors and club members testified in support, describing health and social benefits and saying the walk from the spa to the barn is unsafe for older participants. "We are not a group of spring chickens," said Karen Howland, a club member, urging safe access from Cedar Ridge.
Opponents had raised concerns about prior noncompliance with the permit and about traffic and noise impacts. Planning staff reported the fire marshal inspected the barn and found egress and extinguishers adequate for occupant loads under 50, and recommended conditions, including that access from Cedar Bay Road remain prohibited.
The board amended the planning commission’s recommendation before voting: it adopted explicit hours of 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (removing the word "typical" from the condition), added a requirement to satisfy any VDOT‑required traffic narrative and sight‑distance engineering for the proposed Cedar Ridge entrance, and maintained the class‑size cap at 20 (not 30). The motion also confirmed no vehicle access from Cedar Bay Road.
Supervisor Quinn said the change was a safety issue; Ms. Smith emphasized adding VDOT's conditions before finalizing any physical access. The motion passed by roll call (Chairman Thompson absent).
What happens next: The county will require the applicant to provide a VDOT‑approved traffic narrative and sight‑distance documentation and meet any VDOT conditions before permanent signage or physical driveway changes are allowed. The SUP amendment requires the applicant to adhere to the stated hours and occupancy limits.
