Lynchburg planning commission split on Miller Home for Girls CUP; forwards recommendation to City Council

LYNCHBURG — The Lynchburg Planning Commission on Feb. 25 was unable to reach a clear majority recommendation on a conditional use permit sought by Miller Home for Girls to operate a group home for up to eight children at 271 Riverside Drive, and the item will be forwarded to City Council with the commission’s recorded split vote and staff-recommended conditions.

Planning staff opened the hearing by noting the property is in an R-2 low-to-medium density residential district and that the city’s zoning ordinance requires a conditional use permit when a group home will house more than four children. Planner Rachel told the commission that Miller Home had consulted zoning staff in September 2025 and were told the use was allowed for up to eight residents, but that subsequent review showed a CUP should have been required. “Staff was incorrect,” Rachel said, adding that the Board of Zoning Appeals had recently ruled a recovery home serving a protected class is a by-right use under the Fair Housing Act.

Morgan Kane Ryan, executive director of Miller…