Powhatan planners defer decision on auto-repair and car-sales CUP at Anderson Highway after safety concerns

The Powhatan County Planning Commission on Nov. 5 deferred for 90 days a decision on a conditional use permit (Case 25‑18 CUP) that would allow an automotive repair shop with limited passenger-vehicle sales on a two‑acre parcel at 4601 Anderson Highway. The motion to defer, made by the chair and seconded by another commissioner, passed on a roll-call vote and was continued to the Feb. 3 planning commission meeting.

Planning Director Lisonbee Webb told commissioners the application proposes a 2,100‑square‑foot building with a three‑bay garage, a sales office and a cap of 27 vehicles on site (14 display vehicles, seven customer spaces and six awaiting repair). Webb said the parcel is zoned general commercial, is designated in the 2021 comprehensive plan as part of the Bell Crossroads, and that the CUP would include 15 conditions found in the staff packet covering site layout, buffering, lighting, signage and the requirement that all repairs occur indoors. Webb said the CUP would expire on Dec. 31, 2031, and would require renewal thereafter.

Residents who live near the intersection of Route 60, Bell Road and Locken Road urged the commission to deny the permit, saying the location is hazardous. "It's a terrible location for any sort of business," said resident Dale Goodman, who said he has lived across the road for more than 50 years and has called 911 repeatedly for accidents at the curve. Neighbors cited crash history, blind exit conditions caused by grade differences and unkept vegetation, and warned that a sales lot with stored or damaged vehicles would create an eyesore.

Webb told the commission that VDOT provided a letter dated Oct. 24 indicating no objection to the request but that a VDOT commercial entrance permit and an access‑management exception would be required at the site‑plan stage. Webb estimated the proposed garage would generate roughly 60–70 daily trips and described a turn‑lane warrant analysis as part of the site‑plan submittal. She said the proposed entrance is about 200 feet from Route 60 and that VDOT’s preferred separation is approximately 225 feet, which could prompt an access management exception.

Commissioners focused much of their discussion on safety, drainage and infrastructure details that remain unresolved in the application file: where existing and reserve drain fields and well locations lie, how vehicle screening will be enforced, and the condition and future use of the existing convenience‑store structure on the same parcel (known in the record as "High and By"). Webb and staff noted the convenience building will require code upfits or separate approvals if a tenant seeks to occupy it, and that the site’s existing drain‑field infrastructure may require replacement or relocation during site plan review.

The applicant who identified himself at the hearing said he plans to reopen the convenience store in the front portion of the building and operate the auto service in the rear. A local contractor who spoke at the hearing, Rick Galler of Superstructures, said the owner is attempting to make the building presentable.

After multiple residents and several commissioners described the Route 60 intersection as hazardous and urged more engineering information, the commission voted to defer the CUP for 90 days so staff and the applicant can provide additional materials, including detailed site‑plan engineering and clarification of the convenience‑store status. The motion passed; the chair recorded the roll‑call vote and the matter will return to the planning commission on Feb. 3.

No final approval or denial was made at the Nov. 5 meeting; the commission’s deferral preserves staff and VDOT review opportunities and requires the applicant to supply the outstanding technical materials before the commission acts.