Washington County approves Moonlight Theatre special exception with expanded event flexibility

The Washington County Board of Supervisors voted 6–0 on Nov. 12 to approve a special‑exception permit allowing the Moonlight Theatre to reopen as a drive‑in and operate as a multipurpose event venue, with the board amending staff recommendations to expand operating hours and permitted days.

Renee Blevins, owner of the Moonlite, told the board the site has been part of the community since 1949 and that she and her family have invested more than $1,000,000 in renovations with an estimated $300,000–$500,000 still required to finish upgrades, including an expanded concession stand and restrooms. “This project is more than a business venture for us. It’s a labor of love and a link to our past,” Blevins said during the public hearing.

Planning and zoning staff described the request as a special exception in the county’s B‑2 Business General zoning district because the drive‑in ceased operation in 2013 and lost its preexisting, nonconforming status. Staff reviewed the Planning Commission’s recommendation, which approved the permit on a 4–1 vote with eight recommended conditions. Those conditions include submission of a site plan for large events, obtaining a VDOT commercial entrance permit, a health‑department inspection and approval tied to concession/restroom construction, a letter from the sheriff’s office confirming security plans, verified trash service and a limitation that there be no commercial ingress/egress through Melvin Hills Subdivision.

Blevins and supporters told the board the venue’s financial viability depends on flexibility to host concerts, car shows, craft markets and occasional large events in addition to movie screenings. Blevins said the August concert demonstrated the need for multiuse programming and that the site’s lot provides roughly 464 parking spaces; she said she expects the venue to host at most one or two very large events per year. Rex Willis, a drive‑in operator from North Carolina who attended to offer industry perspective, said drive‑ins “were supposed to be a multiuse venue” and urged flexibility to keep the business model viable.

Board members asked staff to clarify how accessory uses and special events are treated. Staff and the board noted that VDOT requirements and site capacity will limit ingress and pedestrian crossing on Route 11, and that events exceeding certain thresholds may require an event permit; the sheriff’s office enforces the county noise ordinance, which includes a 10 p.m. noise‑abatement authority.

Supervisor Ball moved to approve the Planning Commission’s recommendation while amending operating hours to 8:00 a.m.–1:00 a.m. and changing permitted days to Tuesday–Sunday (leaving Monday as the one day off). Supervisor Saul Hernandez seconded the motion; the board approved it on a 6–0 vote.

The permit approval is conditional on the Planning Commission’s recommended items and the board’s amendments. Staff told the board applicants must secure a VDOT entrance permit and health‑department signoffs, and demonstrate trash service and a sheriff’s review of security procedures before certain uses and large events are permitted.

The permit restores an historic venue to public use while explicitly preserving the county’s regulatory guardrails on traffic, sanitation and noise. The board’s approval authorizes the owners to continue restoration and to schedule multiuse programming consistent with the permit’s conditions; any large events must meet VDOT, public‑safety and health requirements cited by staff.