Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Indigo Acres topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Indigo Acres SUP for retreat and event center sent to public hearing after Planning Commission failed to recommend
Summary
The Board scheduled a March 9 public hearing for a special‑use permit from Indigo Acres, LLC to develop a retreat and event center (small events to 250 attendees, large events to 500, and up to 100 campsites) after the Planning Commission’s recommendation failed; the motion passed 4‑3.
The Buckingham County Board of Supervisors voted 4‑3 on Feb. 9 to send Case 25‑SUP363 (Indigo Acres, LLC) to a public hearing March 9, 2026. The application seeks a special‑use permit to operate a retreat and wellness center on three parcels in the Slate River magisterial district, including guest cottages, a lodge, bath houses, an event center (small events up to 250 attendees — 18 per year; large events up to 500 attendees — 6 per year) and up to 100 temporary campsites.
Zoning Administrator Cheryl Edmondston told the Board the application had been through multiple Planning Commission hearings (October–December 2025) and that the Planning Commission’s motion to recommend approval failed after conditions and reductions were discussed. Edmondston said the applicant provided a narrative and reduced requests (for example, campsites originally requested at 250 were reduced to 100); however, the Planning Commission vote did not produce the recommendation of approval.
At the Feb. 9 meeting Supervisor Michael E. Palmore moved to schedule a public hearing and Supervisor Dennis H. Davis seconded. The motion passed 4‑3; Supervisors L. Cameron Gilliam, Paul W. Garrett and Harry W. Bryant, Jr. opposed the motion. The Board’s action schedules the SUP for public hearing, but it is not an approval of the project.
Applicants and VDOT: Applicant representative Kira Smeriga answered Board questions about potential entrance locations. Edmondston said the application listed the existing driveway; VDOT staff had not evaluated two potential alternate entrances unless they were listed on the application, so a VDOT entrance permit would still be required if the SUP were approved.
What happens next: The Board’s vote schedules a March 9 public hearing. If the SUP proceeds, the applicant must obtain any required VDOT entrance permits and comply with the SUP conditions if approved by the Board after the public hearing.
Key numbers: small events up to 250 attendees (18 per year), large events up to 500 attendees (6 per year), temporary campsites reduced from an initial 250 to up to 100 in conditions discussed during the Planning Commission review.
Direct quote: “If the SUP was to move forward, they would still have to obtain a VDOT entryway permit to be able to operate,” Zoning Administrator Cheryl Edmondston said.
