Planning commission recommends approval for Britton shorefront addition, with mitigation and sewer relocation conditions

The Westmoreland County Planning Commission on Sept. 22 recommended approval to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a proposed addition to a single-family home at 104 Salisbury Park Road in Hague.

Planning staff said the application from David and Denise Britton, represented by Bayshore Design LLC, would add a 1,774-square-foot addition, a 69-square-foot front porch and a 14-square-foot rear stoop to an existing 1,014-square-foot dwelling that also has a 574-square-foot wraparound porch. Staff noted the applicant removed a previously proposed 252-square-foot screened-porch extension from the plans.

"The request is to build a 1,774 square foot addition," Kelly, planning staff, said during the work session. She told commissioners the total area of the proposed modifications exceeds the staff approval threshold, requiring the commission's review, and explained stormwater mitigation measures proposed by the applicant.

Staff reported that the design will collect roughly 2,249 square feet of roof and structure and that the runoff volume to be retained is about 90 cubic feet. The mitigation plan calls for three infiltration trenches (each with about 31 cubic feet capacity) and a mix of plantings and protected existing trees to meet riparian buffer guidance; staff calculated the proposed plantings and tree preservation yield roughly 1.3 planting units toward the riparian buffer requirement.

"We are mitigating much more than what we needed for the state requirements," the applicant's representative said, describing design decisions to avoid placing downspouts through steps and to limit new gutters where on-site conditions made them impractical.

Commissioners and staff also addressed an on-site sewer grinder and control panel that must be relocated to preserve county insurance on the force main. Staff said relocation can be accomplished within the existing easement by moving the grinder roughly 20 feet closer to the street and that county-appointed or approved contractors must perform the work.

Planning staff cited Westmoreland County code provisions governing steep slopes and setback requirements. The proposed construction sits approximately 32.4 feet back from a 33% slope and would not be seaward of the 50-foot seaward buffer, staff said. The application proposes a front setback of 34.6 feet from the centerline of Narrows Beach Road, an encroachment of 25.4 feet from the 60-foot required front setback, which places the request in the variance process.

Commissioners discussed the neighborhood context and noted multiple adjacent properties are legal nonconformities that encroach on the front setback. Staff explained the role of the Board of Zoning Appeals and Title 15.2-2204 of the Code of Virginia for variance and public-notice procedures.

During the work session the commission agreed it was reasonable to recommend approval to the Board of Zoning Appeals. A motion to recommend approval was moved and seconded and recorded as carried with four votes in favor.

Next steps: staff will include the commission's recommendation in its report to the Board of Zoning Appeals and the case will proceed to the advertised public hearing before that board. The commission indicated the item will also appear on its regular meeting agenda for further review and any additional recommendations prior to the BZA hearing.