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Commission tables zoning-text amendment and conditional-use permit for proposed motorsports and ATV park at former Valley Protein site
Summary
The commission opened a zoning-text amendment and conditional-use permit hearing for a proposed motorsports/ATV park at the Valley Protein property but, after extensive public opposition focused on wetlands, runoff, noise and traffic, voted to table both items and asked the applicant to submit a site plan and environmental/traffic studies.
The Southampton County Planning Commission opened hearings on a zoning-text amendment to permit "motorsports, truck and tractor pull and ATV park" as a conditional use in the A1 agricultural district and a companion conditional-use permit application by property owner Glenn Mabry for the former Valley Protein site.
Mabry said he envisions weekday ATV use on weekends and twice-yearly truck-and-tractor pulls, and that he had discussed the site access with VDOT. "I've had a meeting with VDOT and they've already approved the driveway that we already have as far as it can handle the traffic coming in and out," Mabry told the commission, and he said he was coordinating with the local fire department about event support.
Nearby residents, multiple landowners and technical commenters urged caution. Jane Barnes, a nearby landowner, asked the commission to require an environmental study to assess risks to wetlands and downstream water quality, and to consider noise, trespass and safety. "The wetlands are not just a beautiful natural feature. They are vital for maintaining our local wildlife," Barnes said. Other speakers cited past odors and contamination at the Valley Protein site, questioned whether neighbors received timely notice and raised concerns about emergency-response capacity.
A licensed engineer representing neighbors urged a formal site plan, stormwater and erosion-control review and a DEQ permitting assessment before any amendment or conditional-use permit is approved. The county's fire chief acknowledged the potential fundraising benefit for volunteer services but stressed the need for legal, safety and operational safeguards.
Because the proposal would change what A1 districts could host in the future in any part of the county, several commissioners said they wanted a fuller record before altering the zoning text. The commission voted to table the zoning-text amendment and to continue the conditional-use permit to its next meeting; commissioners instructed staff to request a detailed site plan, traffic analysis, environmental and erosion-control studies and documentation of VDOT coordination before the item returns to the commission.
The tabling preserves the status quo for the site while staff and the applicant assemble the requested materials. The commission also asked staff to confirm whether any prior "grandfathered" industrial status would continue to apply following the property's change of ownership.
